Midori the Villain
by BriRy18
Summary: A Fan Request! This is an AU of my Midori Series. Izumi is saved by All Might, but she is left pondering if being a hero is really the path she's meant to walk. Tired of being the victim she contemplates the words of a stranger who says there's another way to make her dream of going to UA a reality.
1. The Corrupted Dream

**Midori The Villain**

**Summary: Fan Request: This is an AU of my Midori Series. Izumi is saved by All Might, but she is left pondering if being a hero is really the path she's meant to walk. Tired of being the victim she contemplates the words of a stranger who says there's another way to make her dream of going to UA a reality. **

**Inspired by:**

**The AMV "BLACKOUT" by xEnmaKozato**

**The Villain Deku Arc by Calla Draws**

**Chapter 1: The Corrupted Dream**

Izumi wanted to be a hero.

All her life she'd been told it was something unattainable, something out of her reach. Her doctor that made the diagnosis that she was quirkless told her to give up. Her own mother burst into tears and apologized over and over. Her entire class laughed at the notion. Even her best and only friend whom had promised they would become heroes together put her down over and over.

When he found out she put in an application to take the exam at UA high school, a prominent school for heroes, he and the entire class laughed at her. How could a meek quirkless girl like her hope of entering a school for heroes? Was she stupid? Did she have a death wish?

_Why are you applying to U.A? You're lower than the rest of these class losers, you're quirkless. What makes you think you can get into a school like that?_

Stupid Bakugo

All this time and he still didn't know what he meant to her. As children her and her childhood friend had promised they'd become heroes together. After they found out she was quirkless, however, he'd flat out told her that the promise no longer applied. His opinion of her changed from someone who could walk beside him, to someone he was forced to shelter.

_Baka Usagi!_

Usagi… the Japanese word for rabbit. It was his personification of her, someone who came off as meek and timid and helpless. In his mind she was his frightened pet rabbit; someone he had to look after and protect. Now that they were growing up he was reaching for the stars and rising to the top. The promise didn't matter to her anymore, she knew she could never be as amazing as him. All she wanted now was to be strong enough to stand on her own two feet. She didn't want to inhibit him, but neither did she want him to leave her behind. She applied to UA for one purpose, and one purpose only. To prove herself.

She wasn't his pet. She wasn't a victim!

"Baka...Go…. Bakago! BAKA BAKA BAKA!" She shouted loving how it echoed down the done as if reaffirming them. She felt empowered and laughed. "Bakago BAKA!"

"A cute little shield…" a dark voice spoke from the shadows silencing her laugh. She whirled around and screamed as the green ooze form surrounded her and shoved down her opened mouth and throat. She struggled against it, trying desperately to move and fight, but her hands slipped through the mucus. The scent of him gagged her senses and she felt her eyes roll up and back as she lost her breath.

"Easy now, it'll only hurt for about 45 seconds… sorry about this cutie, but I never expected HIM to show up in this little town."

Him? She thought absently as she started to lose consciousness and screamed mentally. She wanted so badly to believe she wasn't a victim… and yet here she was about to die at the hands of a disgusting green glob. Maybe Kacchan was right after all. What could a quirkless girl like her do against villains like this?

_Help me… _She cried and felt the hot tears stream down her face. _Someone help me!_

Before darkness took her she heard a voice call out to them, and the shadowed figure of the hero she always admired since childhood.

All Might?

She wasnt sure how long she passed out, but once awake again she felt shame and confusion wash over her. Had it all been real? Had she really been attacked? Who saved her?

Her blurry vision focused on the figure in front of her, and she recognized the beaming smile and bulky form almost instantly.

"All Might!"

"Thank Goodness! You passed out, but you seem to be fine now. Not to worry, young lady. Our villain has been apprehended." He produced a large soda bottle with the villain trapped inside. Stunned and star struck Izumi could only stare and flush at him. It was the real deal, it was All Might!

For a few bumbling minutes she was the chaotic fan girl. Ogling, babbling, cradling the notebook that now carried his autograph inside. She promised herself she would cherish it and never let it out of her sight.

"You're welcome, now if you'll excuse me I need to get this villain to the police station." He crouched low bracing to leap up. Izumi lifted her head her mind racing as she didn't want him to leave. She was in front of her favorite hero of all time. The idol she and Bakugo had looked up to since preschool days.

"Wait!" She hesitated only a moment before rushing forward. Her arms stretched out moving to hug him. He leapt, and the force of his take off sent her flying back. She let out a squeak and fell on her ass wincing. She hissed out a breath rubbing her sore behind, glancing up with a pout. "Damn."

Didn't it just figure? She finally met her idol and she spent the entire time in his presence acting like an excited preschooler. No wonder he'd left in a hurry. All Might was a busy man, he couldn't possibly have the time to talk to a pathetic quirkless fan girl with delusions of grandeur.

"Oh well..." She looked back down at the autograph in her hand tears forming. What could he have possibly told her that she didn't already know? That occurrence with the villain had pretty much sealed her fate. "How could I possibly be a hero who saves people when I can't even save myself?"

From the shadows behind her Izumi remained blissfully unaware of the eyes that watched her. Shigaraki Tomura had followed All Might's trail to this pathetic city, had found him in his moment of heroics and watched with disgust. He was such a pretentious man, so full of himself and his ideals that he failed to see the darkness in people's hearts. Even the girl he'd saved now looked on hurt and abandoned because he couldn't spare a few precious moments to ensure her state of mind.

"Humph, heroes are all the same…"

Izumi gasped and jumped at the notebook fell to her feet and she turned around to face the figure in the dark. The boy looked a few years older than her, shrouded in a thick black hoodie and torn jeans. He stepped toward her and she took a few cautious steps away.

He spotted the notebook and crouched lifting it up by his pincher fingers. The notebook opened to its first page, a detail description of Mt. Lady whom she'd witnessed earlier that day.

"Hmmmm? What's this?"

"They're just notes… I… I'm a fan girl." She held out her hands for the notebook but he turned away. "Please give them back to me."

"In a minute…" Making sure he kept at least one finger off each hand he held the notebook more firmly and paged through it. His brows lifted at the details, descriptions, strategies, all in careful neat penmanship. "I heard you said you want to be a hero. Is that why you take notes?"

"Y-Yes…" She swallowed hard, not sure why this young man was making her heart skip and shake.

"You should find a new dream." He slammed the book closed, tempted to disintegrate it between his palms… but felt it would be a waste of good information. "Why would you want to be a hero when there's a better use of your talents?"

"What do you mean?" She nervously played with her fingers, twirling her thumbs over each other and biting her bottom lip.

"You want to help people, don't you?" He handed the book back to her. "Showing off flashy quirks and defeating villains isn't your style. You don't have the power or the confidence for that foolish career."

"I don't know about foolish… but you might be right about it not suiting me." Izumi hung her head and played with the spirals on her notebook. "Still… I've never wanted anything else."

"Be realistic." He turned and stuffed his hands in his hoodie pockets. You should use your observational skills to help those who are really trying to make the world a better place."

"Eh?" He head lifted up and she got a good look at his face. The scarred lips, and wild eyes sent her nerves on overdrive… but there was something in his voice that coaxed her… like a snake with its prey. "You really think a quirkless person like me can make the world a better place?"

"Quirkless?" Something flickered in those wild eyes a moment. His lips twitched then spread into a smile. "That seals it."

"Huh?"

"Nothing." He pulled out a card and held it out to her with his forefingers. "If you really want to go to UA, then look for me here. I know someone who can help you."

"Really?" She took the card and looked down at the address on it. She lifted her eyes back up just in time to watch the young man start walking away. "Wait! What's your name?"

He paused and glanced back at the her. He took stock of this skinny, freckled face girl and couldn't help but smile. He'd enjoy taking this All Might fan girl and warping her into something of his own creation… and wouldn't it be sweet, he wondered, if the very person to destroy All Might was his former fan.

"You can call me Tomura."

**~The following day~ **

Izumi went to class like normal but couldn't concentrate on her school work. The fact All Might was in town and had defeated a slime villain was plastered on the news. There was mention of a young girl being caught in the scuffle but neither her name nor photo was mentioned.

Probably for the best she thought eying her autographed notebook. She didn't want Kacchan finding out and giving her a hard time.

"Oi Usagi…" Bakugo rapped her on the head and she grunted and slumped in her seat. "Have you thought about what I said?"

"About?" Who was she kidding? Didn't matter if he knew about her encounter with All Might or not. He would always give her a hard time.

"About accepting your place and forgetting this notion of going to UA." He leaned an elbow on her head and she pouted trying to bat him away.

"It's not a notion. Stop trying to talk me out of it Kacchan.. KYA!" She yelped when he exploded his hands near her face and she fell out of her chair and onto the floor. "Kacchan!"

"Don't Kacchan me, Usagi. I told you to give it up and I mean it." He crouched down eying her. "You're gonna get yourself killed by being stupid."

"Maybe, but…" She lifted teary eyes to stare up at him. Bakugo saw the hope and desperation in them, and it made his back tense up. "I won't know unless I try."

"It'd be easier just to take a swan dive off the roof." He flicked her forehead. "Grow up, Usagi and face facts. I'm not always gonna be around to save your useless ass." Bakugo diverted his attention to his friends and left her to pick herself up off the floor.

Izumi lowered her head and reached into her pocket where Tomura's card rest. When she stood she pulled the card out of her pocket and stare at the address.

"No you won't be… so I gotta learn to save myself."

_**~After School~ **_

She called her mother saying she made plans with friends. Which she supposed wasn't a total lie .This Tomura guy seemed to genuinely want to help her, which made him a friend in Izumi's eyes. Still she worried that this was some kind of trap to lure in fresh young females. She'd heard all manner of kidnapping and sex scandals starting out with things like this.

"Is this really the place?" She looked at the seedy underground bar and gulped loudly. She had images of big dangerous men all crowding around her and licking their lips. She clutched the phone close to her chest and pulled a pencil from her bag just to be on the safe side. Push comes to shove she'd call the cops and fight her way out. She had the emergency numbers on speed dials so two quick flicks with her thumb would do it.

She made her way down the steps, taking a long deep breath before raising a hand to knock. It opened almost immediately and a tall figure dressed in a dashing butler's suit and a shadow for a face stood on the other side.

"Are you lost, little girl?"

"Oh…. uh… I don't know. I-I-I'm looking for Tomura." She held out the card. He took it in his hand, admiring the stationary with a quizzical expression and then glanced back inside.

"Tomura Shigaraki… there's a girl here to see you."

"Let her in Kurogiri." Tomura said taking a slow sip of his drink. He held the glass, pinky out and turned his eyes on Izumi. "So, you've decided to come."

Izumi hesitated before stepping through the threshold. She kept her hands clutched tight over her phone showing she was still wary of where she was and what she was doing.

"You said you knew someone who could help me get into UA? Did you mean it?" She jumped when Kurogiri closed and locked the door behind her. She swallowed hard, her eyes darting around and looking for any other people. When she saw no one she relaxed some.

"Yes…" He looked to Kurogiri. "Call the master."

"As you wish." He turned and picked up a phone dialing a number. Izumi's ears perked hearing the distinctive tones. Shigaraki rose and pulled a chair over in front of the TV screen on the front wall. He then pulled Izumi in, wrapping his elbow around her neck. She stumbled and squeaked before quickly sitting and nervously fidgeting in the seat provided.

The TV blinked on, the words "sound only" appearing and a voice speaking thickly through its speakers.

"Tomura Shigaraki?"

"Master…" Shigaraki stood beside Izumi and pulled up a strand of Izumi's curly hair rubbing it between his fingertips. "I want to make this one a member."

"The girl? Whatever for?" Another voice joined the gruff one from before. "The master is sick and busy so this better not be a joke."

"Easy, doctor, let's hear what he has to say." All for One crooned and leaned back in his chair. "Go on, Tomura."

"I think she'd be useful." Tomura scratched his neck eying the back of Izumi's head with a slow smirk. "She wants to go to UA high school… but she's quirkless."

"Quirkless?" The Master laughed gently. "How interesting. Tell me my dear, how do you plan to go to UA when you have no quirk of your own?"

"Uh, well I…" Izumi fidgeted at having all the attention put on her. "I've always wanted to be a hero. Ever since I was a little girl my friend Kacchan and I said we'd become heroes together… but then I found out I was quirkless." She shook unable to help herself. "I didn't want to give up. I learned martial arts… and I started taking notes on all the heroes I encountered and studied on TV."

"She's got a notebook." Shigaraki ruffled through her bag and had Izumi squeaking and holding her hands out.

"Hey wait please don't go through my things!"

Tomura pulled out the notebook and tossed it at Kurogiri. His hand formed into a warp and her notebook disappeared making Izumi pale and stare in fascination. She jumped out of her seat and stare at Kurogiri's hand as it took shape again.

"Amazing! Are you some kind of warp gate?" She scrambled through her belongings for a pen and paper and scribbled what she could down.

One the other side of the screen The Doctor and All for One hear the slap of Izumi's notebook hitting the ground. The doc walked over and picked it up. He flipped through and his brow rose curiously.

"Amazing organizational skills… hero identities, their quirk names and details, their specific attacks, strategies, weaknesses…" He eyed the girl through the screen as she started to question kurogiri with avid curiosity.

"Many people can take detailed notes… I get the feeling this isn't the real reason you want to recruit her Shigaraki." All for One smirked slowly. He could hear the doctor flip another page and his voice choked.

"She's an All Might fan…" The doctor sneered at the page with All Might's autograph. All for one started to laugh.

"Oh ho ho, now I get it. I can see why she piqued your interest, Shigaraki." He clapped his hands in a small applaud. "I approve of your motives. Now what should we do with our newest member?"

"She should get her into UA…" Shigaraki decided with a quick sinister grin. "Give her a quirk, Master."

"Eh?" Izumi heard this and her pencil dropped. She stare at Shigaraki wide eyed and astonished. "G-give me a quirk? He can do that?"

"I see…" All for One tapped his finger on the keyboard. "Is this what you request of me?"

"Yes, you said I can do what I want. I want you to give her a quirk, train her, and send her to UA."

All for One could see the plan Tomura was laying out, and approved of it. They already had a spy inside UA but this girl would prove far more useful if given the proper training. Taking one of All Might's precious fans, warping her into something of use to them, or better yet into someone they could control and manipulate as they saw fit. She could bring down All Might's guard, and expose every weakness, and vital point in the hero's society.

All for One's grin spread wide.

"Kurogiri… send her to me."

"Are you certain, Master?" The Doctor looked at him cautiously and was already starting to pull his mask on for protection.

"More than certain." He turned off the speaker so he could speak freely to his doctor. "Even if the girl doesn't survive the transition… I could just add her to my ever growing collection."

The Doctor laughed now eying the rows of Nomu floating in their tanks.

"Aye, that you can."

The warp appeared before them and a hesitant Izumi stepped through her body shaking from the cold of its warp space. She looked at it curiously, her face pale and sweaty from the fear she held back.

"Welcome, little one." All for One beckoned her and Izumi turned to face him fully. The sight of him, a middle aged man with a misshapen head, scarred and stitched tissue where his eyes should be. "Do not be afraid, child."

"I…" her voice squeaked and she swallowed hard. "I don't have much money to give you. Is there anyway else I can pay for your services?"

"You shouldn't say such things to strangers, little one. It gives them the wrong impression." He motioned her forward with his fingers. "This is not service, but a gift. You see I have the ability to give quirks to others… but I only ever do so with those I find worthy of them. Shigaraki believes you're worth it, and I trust his judgement."

"I… I will do my best to live up to your expectations then." She stood up straight her eyes determined now. "No.. that's not right… I WILL live up to your expectations."

"I've no doubt of that my dear. Tell me, what's your name?"

"My name is Izumi Midoriya."

"Ah, young Izumi…" he stretched his hands out and took hers pulling her closer. "What sort of quirk would you like?"

"I get a choice?" Izumi blinked and she pulled her hands out of his just so she could hold her chin and mutter to herself. "Well I suppose it would be weird if I had a quirk that didn't resemble either of my parents. My mom has a simple levitation quirk and my father could breathe fire… so maybe an ability to control fire, or maybe some kind of telekinesis quirk."

"Hmmmm you're limiting your choices by trying to think logically, Young Midoriya." He placed a hand on her head and snapped her out of her mumble. "However, from what you've just described, I think I've the perfect quirk for you."

"Really?" She looked up at him, her initial bone chilling fear easing some at his gentle almost fatherly touch.

"Yes… now I must warn you that the process will hurt. I must have your full consent."

"I'm not afraid of pain." Izumi's eyes went hard now, thinking of all the years of emotional torment, of the helplessness and loneliness. "I can take it."

"Good…" suddenly All for One wished with all his might that the child would live through the process. A girl with her determination and clever mind had immense potential. "Now then, Izumi Midoriya… let's begin."

Izumi went tense as All for One's hand clasped over her face. She felt his palm go hot and that heat seemed to flow inside her, making her temples throb, and blood scorch. She grit her teeth trying to bear with it. Her eyes went wide and wild and she clenched her hands at her side.

"Mnnng… Ah….. Ahnnn…" She could feel her legs wanting to buckle, felt herself wanting to pull back but shoved the notion back. She'd never felt this kind of pain before… it felt as if every cell in her body was on fire. Unable to take it anymore she shut her eyes, tears streaming down and her voice ripping from her throat in a pain filled scream. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

All for One watched her body collapse as the transfer of power completed. Her body slumped to the ground like a ragdoll.

"Doctor…"

The doctor stepped forward rolling Izumi onto her back and testing her vitals. He gave a "hmm" and a nod.

"She's alive." He opened her pupils. "No sign of brain damage. My guess she just passed out from the pain."

"Excellent… put her someplace more comfortable." All for One leaned on his knuckles his senses reaching out to scan over the girl." When she awakens, the real fun will begin."

_**~Ask Briry~**_

_**First chapter of a new story! I've got a lot of projects going on, but with the hiatus put on A Twisted Fate and The Midori Prequel, I've decided to put up a requested fic that I've been working on. I've hinted at villain Deku in my other fics, but never quite put them over the edge. In this fic I tend to stretched and tip those boundaries and really have fun with playing with off canon material. **_

_**Next Chapter: Sentient Aura**_


	2. Sentient Aura

**Midori the Villain**

**Chapter 2: Sentient Aura**

Izumi felt like she was floating. What seemed like only moments ago her entire body had felt like it was combusting into flames. Now that the pain was gone, all she felt was the sensation of weightlessness. Did she die? Had the pain killed her?

She could hear the echoing sound of voices around her and sighed. No… just sleeping, she thought. Relief swam through her and she smiled enjoying the feeling. She wished she could open her eyes… see something other than the dark.

"Midoriya? Miss Midoriya?"

"Hmmm? Who's calling me?" She murmured and tried to open her eyes. She started to feel pain again and groaned. No… she didn't want to leave this comfort just yet.

"Come now, Miss Midoriya, it's time to wake up."

"No… let me sleep…" she complained and stretched out. She gasped as the sudden cold sensation of water splashed on her face. Izumi opened her eyes and barely caught sight of herself floating a few feet off the ground before she found herself slamming down to the ground. "Kya! OW!"

"Seems the quirk has taken root." The doctor nodded holding a dripping pale of water.

"Eh?" Izumi glanced down and gasped as she saw the dark fire-like energy streaming out of her hands and feet. "Whoa… this is… my quirk?"

"Yes, it's called Sentient Aura." All for one explained. "It is a living mass of energy and power that you can control. It has many uses that I think will suit your needs. I will teach them to you."

"Thank you, Mr…" she trailed off. "I'm sorry I never got your name."

"You may call me Sensei if you'd like as I'll be your teacher for the next several months." All for One chuckled.

"Sensei…" She stood up smiling. "How can I ever thank you?"

"It is my pleasure, sweet child." Hr paused ans shifted in the seat so he leaned on his knuckles. "I do have one harmless request of you."

"Okay…" she beamed, eager to please. "Tell me."

"The doctor is poor company… not very entertaining and doesn't hold up a good conversation. I would like it very much if you'd come see me at least once a week and tell me of your daily activities. Maybe join me in a game of checkers or chess?"

"Sure, I can do that. Although I don't know how to play chess." she scratched her cheek laughing sheepishly.

"Another skill I shall teach you." He grinned. "Now then, it's late and you should go home before your mother worries."

"You're right. Um… how do I turn it off?" she held up the energy looking at it with worry. Suddenly the aura dissipated and she blinked in surprise. "Wow that easy?"

"I wouldn't say easy. Sentient Aura is created from your own kinetic energy, fueled by your emotions, and controlled with your mind. It'll take some time for you to fully grasp it's uses, but you'll come to find the only limitations on it is your own imagination." He pressed an intercom. "Kurogiri…" the warp appeared and All for One turned his attention to her. "Shigaraki will see you home. Please come see us again after school and we'll get started on your lessons. Also I think it would be in your best interest to keep your new powers a secret until you've fully mastered them."

"Yes, Sensei. Thank you again." She bowed and hurried into the warp.

"Such a naive child." The doctor huffed. "Do you really think she'll be of any use to us? And you gave her one of your most powerful quirks."

"I'm more than certain this will benefit us. So long as we play our cards right, Doctor, that girl will be the end of All Might. Of that I'm certain."

**~On the way back~**

"Thank you for everything Tomura." Izumi turned as they approached her apartment complex. "I can't tell you how much I appreciate everything you've done for me."

"Just don't screw it up." He told her simply.

"Okay… um Can I ask you something?" She waited and he gave her a careless shrug. "How come you decided to help me. It sounded as though you don't like heroes very much."

"I don't…" Shigaraki admitted shoving his hands in his hoodie again. "I think they're all a bunch of hypocrites and fools." He turns his eyes on her, saw the sadness in them. "The world is living a lie. People walking the streets laughing and smiling with the thoughts in their heads that even if something bad happens a hero will come to the rescue."

"It's not a lie… it's hope." She reached out and touched his shoulders. "Heroes give people hope that everything will turn out alright."

"Hope is foolish. People still die, crisis occurs, chaos reigns. People murder, steal, lie all to get what they want. There's tons of it left around the world but the bulk of the world turn a blind eye to it. The world needs to remember things aren't always sunshine and rainbows."

He starts walking away and Izumi clenched her fists at her side.

"You never answered my question. If that's how you really feel about heroes then why are you helping me? Why do you want me to become something you hate?"

Shigaraki stopped and he slowly turned his head back to look at her.

"When I first saw you, you'd just been saved by the symbol of Peace… yet you looked like the world was crashing down around you."

Izumi lowered her head and held her heart. Shigaraki continued to speak.

"It's because you'd given up on your dream. The symbol of peace protected you from harm but he couldn't give you what you really needed. He couldn't give you that hope you claim heroes offer to the world."

He turned his back to her. His own childhood came into mind and he scratched irritably at his neck.

"Heroes give off the presence of hope, and peace, an prosperity but in the end they're all just a bunch of idiots posing and showing off their special quirks to the world. They don't care about those of us without quirks, or quirks that are deemed useless or too dangerous to be used."

"Dangerous?" Her eyes narrowed and she watched Tomura pick up a rock with his thumb and forefinger. He held it out to her and she stuck out her hand as if to take it. He clenched the rock in his full fist now and let go letting the sand and dust slip between his fingers and into her palm.

Izumi's eyes went wide as she saw the dust form in her hand. She looked up into his face now, saw the scarred and battered emotions in those crazed eyes. Her heart wept for him.

"Tomura…"

"Society deems us unworthy. They put us down, make us feel like we're not worth saving. I helped you because I think you should prove them wrong. I helped you, because I think you can be a better hero than that fool All Might if given the chance." He pulled back and brushed the dust away with a smirk. "Show the world what a quirkless nobody can do when given power."

She let the rest of the dust fall, watching it form a small island at her feet. She then looked back up into his eyes and smiled confidently.

"I'll do my best."

**~The Following Day~**

She'd gotten a small lecture from her mother in regards to curfew and responsibility but took it in stride. After eating a late dinner she sat in her room, door locked and decided to test out her new quirk.

With little knowledge of how it worked she managed to make a mess of her room, but obtained valuable information on its properties and control.

**Sentient Aura: An external source of energy that's formed from her emotions and controlled by her thoughts. ** **It's properties varied depending on her mood and state of mind. **

After a few tests she could see why Sensei had chosen to give this particular quirk to her. It's physical appearance resembled that of a flame and she found she could lift objects by surrounding it with her energy and using it as an extension of her body. The reason she'd woken up several feet off the ground was because the energy had surrounded her and made her float.

Sensei was right, the limitations on this quirk were the limitations of her own imagination. She could imagine using this power in many different ways and couldn't wait to have the freedom to really see what it was capable of.

The moment the bell for the end of school rang she quickly put up her belongings and was up like a shot. Her expression was bright and happy and she walked briskly through the halls to head out.

An arm clasp around her neck and she squeaked as Bakugo pulled her back making her collide into him.

"ACK! Kacchan!?"

"Where the hell do you think you're going in such a brisky mood?"

"Oh uh…" her eyes darted around. "I'm going to a friends house."

"Ha? What friends? You don't have any friends aside from me." He squeezed his arm around her neck a little tighter and she choked and wiggled trying to pull it away. "Don't lie to me, Usagi."

"I'm not lying." She wheezed. "I met him a few days ago, his name is-"

"Him!?" Kacchan's temple throbbed and his grip tightened. Izumi's face went blue and she slapped and wriggled more "As I thought, you're not going."

"Hah!?" She bent and tried to pry her head free, feeling like a dog trying to get out of its collar and leash. "Let go, Kacchan!"

"No way! You're going with me to the arcade!" he let go of her neck only to grab the back of her jacket and tug her along. "I'm not letting some asshole I don't know play with what's mine!"

"You're being ridiculous, Kacchan! Let go of me!" She lifted her arms slipping out of the jacket and making a run for it. "I'm not your pet!"

"AHH! BAKA USAGI! GET BACK HERE YOU STUPID RABBIT!" Bakugo gave chase and had Izumi squeaking in response. She ran faster wishing he wasn't such a natural athlete. She ducked through crowds and pulled out her phone. Before leaving she'd gotten the phone number to the bar from Kurogiri just in case something came up.

"Please answer, please answer…"

"Moshi, Moshi?" Kurogiri answered on the other line and nearly made Izumi weep with relief.

"Kurogiri! It's Izumi! I'm being chased by one of my classmates and I can't outrun him." She glanced back and squealed seeing Bakugo gaining. "Help me!"

"What is your location?" He opens his laptop and starts opening up a coordinates map.

"I'm near Tattooin station, I just passed the cafe, KYA!" She skidded to a halt as she nearly got hit by a car and she quickly changed direction ducking under Bakugo's arm that made a grab for her.

"I'm going to kill you, Usagi! I said you're coming with me!"

"Ah, I've got your location." Kurogiri formed a warp. "You'll see a candy store up ahead. Turn down the alley next to it."

Izumi's eyes darted around frantically and she spotted the store. She darted to the right into the alleyway and fell right into Kurogiri's warp. The black swirl closed immediately just before Bakugo turned into the alley and looked around for Izumi.

"KUSO! WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU!? USAGI!"

Izumi lay flat out on the bar floor tears of relief spilling down her face and her limbs trembling.

"Th-Thank you, Kurogiri-san. Scary… That was so scary… I really thought Kacchan was gonna kill me." Her quirk started to flow out causing various pieces of furniture to lift off the ground and spin in circles.

"Who the hell is Kacchan?" Tomura asked leaning back on the bar and watching the spinning furniture with avid interest.

"My childhood friend. He's overprotective of me, and really frightening when he wants to be." She sat up on her knees letting out a shaky sigh. "Which is all the time."

"Tch…" Tomura stood and punched the top of her head.

"OW!" The furniture dropped and she looked up at Tomura rubbing her messy curls. "What was that for?"

"You don't have to be afraid of anyone anymore." he pointed an accusing finger at her. "You got a quirk now don't you?"

"Tomura…" Izumi frowned. "Using your quirk on a person isn't allowed."

"Not that, you idiot. You're letting him look down on you. You're not his underling anymore, you're his equal. Don't let him frighten you."

Izumi blinked at that and she looked at her hands.

"I'm his… equal?"

"Well you will be, if you ever learn to control what you've been given." Kurogiri corrected and opened another gate. "The master is waiting for you."

"Right." Izumi picked herself up off the ground. "Thanks again Kurogiri."

She stepped through the warp and appeared inside the doctor's lab again. All for One sat in a wheelchair with tubs and plugs and other wires all attached.

"Hello again, Sensei." Izumi bowed.

"Izumi, my girl. Welcome back." The chair rolled forward and he held his hands out to hers. She took them and clasped them protectively between her. "I heard you had some trouble with friends from school. Are you alright, child?"

"Yes, Kurogiri helped me. I'm sorry if it caused you trouble." She bowed her head. "I have a hard time handling Kacchan's temper."

"Kacchan?"

"Oh, Kacchan is my childhood friend. We've known eachother since preschool."

"I see… before we begin your training why don't you come over here and play a game with me. While we play you can tell me more about yourself." He turned the chair and rolled it to a table where a chess board was already set up. Izumi set her back down and adjusted her tie a little so it didn't choke her throat as much. "The uniform you're wearing is from Alderra correct?"

"Yes…" She sat down smoothing out her skirt and sitting up straight. "I'm a third year. I'll be graduating next spring."

"I see… the UA exam is in february which is ten months away." He shifted his chair into place. "You'll need to have your quirk mastered by then."

"Yes, Sensei." Izumi nodded and eyed the pieces. All for One went into a general explanation of each piece, what they did, how they moved, and other basic rules. Izumi absorbed it and looked at the board with careful calculation. Since she was playing the white pieces she was gvien the first move. She placed a prong out and her face went light and happy at the aspect of learning something new.

As they played All for One casually asked her questions about herself, her friends, her family, her background. Izumi answered them all without much thought as to what she was giving him.

"Checkmate." He knocked her king over and had Izumi sighing heavily.

"That's three times in a row."

"You're still a beginner, it'll take time for you to really grasp a game like this." He smiled and began setting up the pieces again. "Do you know why I like chess, Izumi?"

"Hmmm? No… why?" She started setting up her pieces as well.

"It's a game of strategy. You don't need physicality, or endurance, or strength… all you need is your mind." He tapped a finger on her forehead. "You've a curious mind, Izumi. It soaks up information like a sponge. I like that about you. UA's exams are faulty. They give advantages to those with physical and combative quirks. The only reason I gave you a quirk is because of such a reason… but remember that it's your mind that's your true weapon. Use it well."

Izumi took in this knowledge and smiled. She placed her prong out to start another game and her eyes went confident.

"Yes, Sensei."

_**~A few games later~**_

Izumi didn't win a single game, but she didn't feel defeated. With every defeat she felt as if she learned something new; such as combinations, foreward advancements, and sneak attacks. It was becoming more and more obvious that he was reading her moves, her voice, her gestrues and using them to predict where she'd go from there. It was something she'd have to work on.

Now that the mental training was over, it was time for the quirk training she needed to pass the UA exam. To save her uniform from getting dirty or damaged, All for One provided Izumi with a tank top and work out pants to train in. She tied her curly hair up in a ponytail to keep it out of her face, and stood barefoot in the middle of an empty room.

"For today I'm just going to thrust you right into combat so we can get a feel of where you need improvement. You told me you have some martial arts training so do you best to use it to your advantage and adapt your quirk to it."

"Yes!" Izumi stood straight and alert."

"I must warn you, this training will be hard on your body. You said before you're unafraid of pain, and that's good, but you need to go further if you intend to be combat ready."

"Yes, sir!" Izumi nodded

"Good, now due to my condition I cannot personally train you. I've brought in a few helpers to spar with you." he snapped his fingers. From the darkness of the room something started to shift forward. Izumi could hear the pound, pound, of feet on the smooth surface and immediately felt her heart beat increase.

"W-Wh-What?" Izumi went pale as a sheet and her mouth fell open as several horrifying looking creatures step around All for One. "WHAT ARE THEY!?"

"Failed subjects. I warned you when I gave you a quirk that the pain would be few didn't take well to the transfer of power, or became too greedy and begged for a second or third quirk. Their minds were too weak to handle the strain and they became living dolls. The doctor's done all he's can to make them function, but as you can see…" he motioned to the lot of them. "It's not a pretty process."

"They… this is…" what the hell? Wht in the hell had she gotten herself into? Was any of this legal?

"Keep your attention focused on the task at hand, Izumi. They may not be able to think for themselves, but once a command is given they're quick on response. You need to look sharp." He clapped his hands. The first Nomu stepped forward and Izumi stepped back her voice and breath choked in her throat. "Don't be afraid, Izumi. They only do what I tell them to. They won't kill you or harm you unnecessarily. They're here to be your sandbags."

"Sensei." Izumi squeaked out. "I can't use my quirk on them! They're still living beings aren't they?"

"Just think of them as living tools, and use them to your advantage." All for One lounged and leaned on his knuckles. "Nomu…"

The black figure's eyes rolled forward to eye Izumi and it made a grab for her. Izumi screamed and smacked the hand away, her quirk coming out subconsciously to protect her. The energy formed around her like a barrier and lifted her up and back. She stumbled some, her knees feeling wobbly as she made the landing.

"Good reflexes, but you'll need to be faster than that, Izumi."

On cue Nomu rushed her, grabbing her by the arms and tossing her. Izumi screamed and landed with a thud, rolling around on the ground. She winced and struggled to stand. Nomu's large hand grabbed her by the hair pulling her up. She squealed in pain and her eyes shot open. Her quirk pulsed out and shoved Nomu off her.

"Oh?" All for One rubbed his chin. "She's gotten the basic properties of her quirk down already. Clever girl."

Izumi panted and she got back into focus. The initial fear and discomfort of using her quirk on someone else was gone and replaced with a need for survival. This… what did he call it? Nomu? This Nomu was her opponent, an obstacle in her way.

She thought of Kacchan, on how he always jumped feet first into combat and always came out on top. The guy was the walking personifcation of Victory, and it was something she greatly admired. If she wanted to be someone who could stand beside him she needed to channell that strength. She needed to keep getting up, she needed to keep fighting until she stood as the victor.

"RAHHHHH!" She stretched her quirk out, the energy forming around a nearby chair and launching right into Nomu knocking him off balance. She ran at him and jumped landing a kick right into his head. He stumbled the rest of the way, but immediately stood up again, eying her with those lifeless eyes. "The hell are you made of?"

"Master…" The Doctor came up behind All for One eying the fight in progress. "Isn't that the Nomu you intend to use against All Might?"

"It is…" He took the cup of tea offered to him and sipped.

"Don't you think that's a bit cruel putting her up against an opponent she has no chance of standing up to?" He watched as Izumi was tossed into a wall and slumped against it. He clucked his tongue. "Poor Child."

"On the contrary doctor…" he set the tea down, and focused his senses on Izumi. He had no eyes to see with, but he didn't need them to know what kind of expression the girl was making. "This is the only way she'll learn. The power behind her quirk is all within her emotions. Fear snaps the control, making it go wild, or stop working at all. I will remove all sense of fear from that girl, and when I do there's nothing stopping her from rising to the top. All Might will take notice of that, a girl he once saved who's come into her own power."

"So that's your plan? Make her someone worth recognizing so she can gain All Might's trust and confidence?"

"In a sense...That man is reaching the end of his rope. He'll need to pass One for All down to someone soon if he hasn't already. When he does his power will waver, and there's nothing that'll stop me from crushing him and the whole world under my boot."

"You're hoping All Might will choose her to pass his quirk onto?" He chuckled at the notion. "What if he chooses another?"

"Then we merely kill the one that possess it next. The only way I will allow One for All to continue to manifest is if it's under my thumb." He heard Izumi's body crack against the ground again, heard her breath heaving out and coughing as she struggled to stand. He held up his hand and called off Nomu. "I think that's enough for today. You need to build up some stamina and muscle."

All for One turned to the doctor.

"Make up a nutrition diet for her, and let's find some work out equipment so we can start putting her through physical training."

"Sensei…" Izumi wheezed. "That was too short…" she struggled up on her knees and looked up with sharp eyes. "Please let me continue!"

"Patience, child." All for One rolled the chair toward her and he reached out stroking her hair that had tumbled from its ponytail. "We've ten months to build up your body and work on your strengths. Set up a meeting place where Kurogiri can pick you up so you don't have to worry about your friend following you anymore."

"Sensei…" Izumi's eyes teared and she grit her teeth. "I'm tired of being weak. I'm tired of being the victim. I want to get stronger! I NEED TO GET STRONGER!"

"Progress doesn't happen in a day, my dear Izumi." He pet her again and she shut her eyes the tears spilling down. "You will become strong. By the end of these ten months you will be more than capable of taking on any obstacle you face."

"Really?" She slowly opened her eyes and looked into the misshapen face of her teacher.

"You will never be a victim again, Izumi." His smile spread slow and almost cruelly. "I promise."

_**~Ask Briry~**_

_**Briry: I know, I know, I should be posting on my other fics first but I've got this one stuck in my head and I needed to get it out so… TA-DA! I hope you all are enjoying it. **_

_**Next Chapter: 10 months of Hell**_


	3. 10 months of Hell

**Midori the Villain**

**Chapter 3: 10 months of Hell**

Izumi knew she'd stepped into a situation that there was no getting out of. After only a few weeks of training it became clear to her that the people who'd given her a gift were not law abiding citizens… but were more than likely a group of villains. What she was afraid to ask was just what purpose did they intend for her? Were they trying to recruit her as a villain? Perhaps giving her what she needed to get into UA was their way of blackmailing her into doing what they wanted.

Whatever the case may be, she was stuck. They knew where she lived, who her mother was and what she looked like. They knew where she went to school, who her one and only friend was. Thinking back on it she'd been a damn fool giving them all that information. Now if she didn't follow through with their plans they were either going to kill her outright, or maybe threaten to kill her mother or even Kacchan to get what they wanted.

She wasn't going to let them hurt her family or loved ones. If push came to shove she would rather go to jail than to risk getting anyone killed.

Inko eyed her daughter from across the dinner table. Izumi was prone to muttering to herself even during dinner… but for the past several weeks she began to worry. Her little was coming home everyday with fresh bruises. When questioned Izumi evaded when normally her sweet girl would be so honest and upfront.

"Izumi, sweetie, is everything alright?"

"Huh?" snapping out of her mental thoughts Izumi looked up. "What was that?"

"Izumi I'm worried about you." Inko set down her bowl of rice and folded her hands in her lap. "You're staying out everyday, coming home with bruises and scrapes as if you're getting into fist fights. You're studying still and I'm grateful your grades aren't suffering but it's still worrisome."

"I'm fine, mama." Izumi set her own bowl down and reached across the table to grab her hand. "I'm just training. I need to be at my best if I'm gonna participate in the UA entrance exam. A friend of mine is helping me."

"Training? Izumi you're quirkless, do you really think it's a good idea for you to take such a dangerous test?" Inko turned their hands over so she could grip them tight. "If this test is going to cause you harm then I wish you'd forget the whole thing and go to a regular high school. You've got plenty of options with how smart you are and-"

"Please don't say that mama." Izumi pulled her hands away her eyes going teary and fretful. "Please don't tell me to give up. That's not what a mother should say. Why can't you be supportive of me?"

"Izumi…" Inko's own eyes went teary. "I want to support you with all my heart, but you're all I've got left in this world. Why can't you understand that?"

"Why can't you have some faith!?" Izumi snapped back and stood up from the table. "I'm going to bed."

"Izumi!" Inko called after her but Izumi slammed the door to her room. Inko sighed heavily and looked at the half eaten dinner on the table. She bit her lip and bowed her head sniffling.

_**~Following day at All for One's hideout~**_

"You seem to be in a bitter mood." All for One commented as he moved his knight into Check position. He failed to notice Izumi's bishop in prime location and she took his knight with a temperamental flick of fingers. "Excellent move."

"I'm not bitter… just frustrated." Izumi admitted, her eyes cool and distant. After All For One readjusted his attack pattern she let her gaze shift quickly over the set up, predicting the few moves he could pull to better his position. Deciding the best route was to eliminate his most powerful piece she sacrificed her own knight to take his queen. "Check."

"What frustration? You're actually winning this time." He complimented and took the knight with his rook.

"My mother doesn't approve of my training." She sighed heavily, her eyes scanning the board again. "I understand that she's worried, because she still thinks I'm quirkless. Still I wish, just for once, she'd encourage me rather than hold me back. Not once did I ever receive encouragement towards reaching my dreams."

"That does sound frustrating." His lips twitched as his trapped worked and he placed his bishop into the path of the king. "Checkmate."

"Eh?" Her eyes snapped open as she took a look at the pieces. She groaned and slid her hands over her face. "Damn."

"You were close, I'll admit. You get better and better with every game we play." He complimented her and started setting the pieces to rights again, and watched her do the same.

"I guess…" She sighed and pulled back staring at her hand. "I wish the quirk training was going as well as the mental one."

"As I said before, your mind is your greater weapon… but your physical training is coming along." He leaned back smiling.

"Yeah right. That Nomu knocks me around more and more everyday. I feel like I'm getting slower."

"On the contrary, you're getting faster and so is Nomu. The more you improve, the more difficult I make your opponent." He explained and waited til she made the first move before speaking again. "We can hold off on the combat some to decrease your injuries. I've had some equipment brought in so you can do some cardio and weights."

"Mmmm…" she trailed off and her hand hesitated on the piece before moving it. "Can I ask you a question, Sensei?"

"Of course, my dear."

"Are you a villain?" her eyes stare into All for One's and she watched his hand hesitate. The smile on his face dropped and he took up her pawn.

"How long have you known?"

"Since the first lesson." She clutched her hands in her lap. "I had suspicions but it wasn't until I saw Nomu that I realized just what I'd gotten myself into."

All for One rubbed his chin and sighed deep before letting the smile form again.

"So… how come you're telling me, instead of going to the police with this information?"

"I thought about it… but thought it'd be pointless to do so." She made the next move. "If I told the police, there's no guarantee they'd be able to lock you all down. I don't know where this place is located at. I only know the location of the bar. You and Tomura know everything about me. You know where I live, go to school, who my friends and family are. I'd never be able to hide from you."

"True enough… so then why are you telling me this? You could have kept it to yourself, played along, and I would be none the wiser."

"I guess…" Izumi leaned her head on her folded hands as she eyed the board. "I'm just curious as to what you plan to do with me. You know I'm an aspiring hero and not a villain. So why help me when I could just as easily betray your confidence or go against you?"

"Well… what do you want me to do, Izumi? What are your plans now that you've all the right tools at your disposal?"

"I want to be a hero…" She admitted. "Seems silly since I had to get help from a villain to do so but…" she lifted her eyes up to All for One. "Despite some of the things you've done… you don't seem like bad people."

"Oh? Why do you say that?"

"You gave me a quirk, you're helping me realize my dream. No matter your intentions behind it you've given me the support and confidence I've always longed for." Tears start to form. "All my life I've been told I'm useless. I'm a quirkless, powerless, shy and timid rabbit that hides and cowers from others. Even my own mother didn't believe I could achieve my dream… she still doesn't." She bat away the first tear. "You and Tomura… you're the first people who told me to do what I want, to have confidence in myself and my abilities. I want to believe that you weren't just lying to me, that you really do believe I'm capable of becoming a hero." She lowered her head sobbing. "So please tell me… is all of this just a lie?"

"Dear sweet child." All for One folded his hands in his lap. "I wasn't lying… not about your abilities. You're more than capable of succeeding which is exactly why I need you."

Izumi's teary eyes lifted up and she wiped her nose.

"What for?"

"The true definition of a villain is a person who goes against the rules and regulations of society. Tomura, Kurogiri, and I are looking to change the way heroes are perceived. In order to do that we have to show off the weaknesses of the current heroes, and raise new and stronger ones for the next generation."

He held his hands out to her.

"You Izumi… we've chosen you to be our new ideal hero."

"Me? Why Me?!" She held a hand to her chest.

"Because you speak for us. You've been bullied, belittled, and shunned for this world because you have no quirk. You know what it's like and can become the new symbol that this world needs. Not a symbol of peace, but a symbol of justice."

Izumi folded her hands in her lap not sure whether to believe this.

"If that's true… then what exactly do you expect of me? What kind of criminal acts am I to take part in to make all of this a reality?"

"Nothing…" All for One told her simply. "I hold you under no obligation to join us in our endeavors. The only thing I ask of you is silence and loyalty. You'll not tell heroes or police of our plans, you'll not speak of where you received your quirk, you'll not interfere unnecessarily should our paths cross. In return I don't expect you to murder, steal, or perform any criminal acts. When our goal is within reach, I will willingly step into your custody and accept my punishment."

"Somehow I don't believe that last part." She slapped down the rook her eyes narrowing on his face. "Check."

"Smart girl… and a wise choice." he lifted up his queen and took the rook. "You shouldn't trust anyone aside from yourself. You do what's right by you, Izumi. Just remember that your actions will affect how we react… and we don't react well to those who betray us."

"I know. I'll do as you ask… I don't have much choice anymore. Without your training I won't be prepared for UA."

"Is that so?" He smiled almost sinisterly. "Can I take the kid gloves off then?"

Izumi's gaze sharpened and she clenched her fist over her knight slamming it on the board with a bit of temper. She didn't care for the assumption that he'd been going easy on her.

"Do what you want, I'm past the point of no return." She said firmly. The moment she moved her piece into place, he was already going in for the kill.

"No truer words were spoken, my dear." He grinned and placed his queen beside her king.

"Checkmate."

**~Some Time Later~**

Izumi should have verified what he meant by "kid gloves." Some of the training didn't change, but every so often he'd surprise her with a special training hour putting her through combat drills and what she could only describe as torture endurance.

She shuddered a little remembering how one of the Nomu's shoved her head underwater holding her down until she thought her lungs would burst then pull her back up. She preferred it when the doctor put her through electric shock therapy, shocking her system til she could no longer form sentences. Some days were so bad she called home, lying to her mother saying she was staying with a friend.

She knew why he did it. Now that she knew exactly who they were, what she was dealing with, he wanted to test her determination and loyalty. He wanted to make sure she wouldn't go squealing, wanted to make sure that if she was asked questions by heroes or other villains she wouldn't tell them what she knew.

"Hell…" She muttered and let Kurogiri baby her wounds with ice packs and bandages. "This must be what hell feels like." she spoke in a croaky voice.

"You really are an idiot." Tomura told her spinning the contents of his drink. "If you'd just kept your mouth shut you could have saved yourself a lot of pain."

"Honesty is better with your friends." She flexed her hand nodding. "Thank you, Kurogiri."

"Don't mention it. I'll fix you some tea." He stepped into the back and Tomura clucked his tongue.

"You must have had a lonely childhood if you consider us your friends." Tomura retorted and tilted his head back to sip the drink. Izumi eyed the hand covering his face. When they'd first met he'd avoided wearing it around her. Now that she was in the loop of their little organization he became more accustomed to having it on.

"What happened to your father, Tomura?"

Tomura tensed up and his fingers clenched around his glass making it shatter and the liquid spill out onto the counter.

"None of your business." He turned his seat away from her, folding his arms on the counter. "Just because you consider me a friend, doesn't mean I'm gonna share my backstory with you."

"You call my childhood lonely, but I'm guessing yours was even worse." She poked at the subject and turned sideways so they sat side by side no. She mirrored his position, staring at him through the mirrored glass behind the bar. When he said nothing she pressed on.

"My father died when I was young. He was going to work overseas and his plane went down in the middle of the ocean." She hugged herself. "I kinda wish I had a piece of him to carry with me like you do."

"This isn't sentiment, it's punishment." Tomura sneered. "My father didn't die, I killed him."

"I figured… but you didn't mean to, did you?"

"No… I did." He clenched his fist. "I hated the man. I wanted him to disappear so I made him go away."

"Liar." She said simply and let out a small cry when he smacked her suddenly and knocked her out of her seat. She fell back on the floor and he straddled top of her his hand on her throat with his one finger off.

"What the hell do you know, you bitch!? Don't think that just because I helped you doesn't mean I won't make you disappear just like him if you piss me off! I do what I want regardless of what the master says!"

"Then do it." Tears fell down her face but she smiled sympathetically for him. "Make me vanish."

"I'll do it! I'll do it!" He grit his teeth those eyes wild with fury as they stare down at her. He felt that fury flicker out when his hands suddenly became coated in her quirk, the dark aura acting as a small barrier between his touch and her body. He shook as he let go, his hands flexing and then testingly roamed her face. His insides were shaken when he felt the full warmth of her cheek press on his palm, but her face remain undamaged.

"I don't pretend to know what you're going through Tomura." She cupped her hand over his pressing it firmly into her cheek, keeping her quirk activated. She sat up now and touched the hand over his face.

"Don't!" He warned, fear thickening in his voice. She hushed him and removed the hand so she could see all of his face. "Father…"

"You don't have to take the blame for that anymore, Tomura." She touched his face now smiling at him. "It wasn't your fault… so punishment isn't needed." She kissed him gently on the forehead and stood up grabbing her bag just as Kurogiri returned with her tea. "Oh, thanks Kurogiri but I should probably head out. My mother will worry."

"Of course, shall I transport you home?"

"No need…" she glanced down at Tomura who stare down at his own hands. "I could use the walk. I have midterms coming up so I won't be able to see you guys for a couple days. Take care, okay?"

"Ah, have a good night Miss Midoriya." Kurogiri lifted a hand to bid her farewell. He'd sided with the girl the moment he'd overheard her speech to Shigaraki. The master may not approve, but he genuinely liked this Midoriya girl.

She smiled at him and walked out the door calmly as you please. Shaken to the core Tomura turned to stare at the closed door. What the hell just happened? He didn't know what this girl was doing to him, but he didn't like it. The fact she rendered his quirk useless both touched and infuriated him. He looked down to his father's hand and picked it up gently between his fingers.

"I haven't touched a person full palmed without killing anyone since I was a child. What is this girl trying to do? Save me?"

"Well she is an aspiring hero," Kurogiri eulogized.

"She's not suppose to be a hero. She's supposed to be the one that's corrupted, not us." He clenched his fist over his father's hand disintegrating it. The sight of it had Kurogiri staring in shock.

"Shigaraki! Did you just-"

"I don't need it… she's gone and done something stupid. Now I'll never let her leave." Tomura turned to the TV and shouted. "MASTER!"

"Yes, Shigaraki?"

"I want to make that girl mine!" Tomura exclaimed without shame.

"As you wish… how do you want it done?"

"Make her a villain. Make her one of us instead of just being a pawn to play." He held his chest, not sure why but his heart was pounding, his face flushed and body trembling. "I want her to belong to me and only me."

"That will be difficult. Izumi is bound determined to be a hero like All Might. You dislike All Might don't you?"

"She's NOTHING like All Might." Tomura screamed and clawed his hands over the already ripped All Might poster, ripping it down off the wall.

"Calm down, Shigaraki." Kurogiri held out his hands. "The master has a point. How do you expect to make Izumi a villain, when she wants to be a hero?"

"I don't know… I don't know…" Tomura panted and scratched at his neck. "I want her… she's mine… she's mine!"

_I don't pretend to know what you're going through. _

His hands stopped scratching and he calmed immediately as an idiot popped through. He slowly let his hands fall limp at his sides and his grin spread.

"Yes that's it… I know exactly how to do it." he laughed. "Let's show her how useless heroes really are…"He eyed the monitor. "Master."

From the other side of the screen All for One's lips spread wide in a grin.

"I've taught you well, Tomura."

**~The next day: Midoriya's Apartment~ **

"Mom I'm leaving!" Izumi called out behind her as she pulled her shoes on.

"Be safe…" Inko said softly and walked to the edge of the hallway to her daughter. "Would you like some snacks to take to your friends house?"

"I'll be home after school. I've midterms coming up so…" Izumi hesitated when she looked up at her mom. The look on her face had the guilt creeping up in her belly. Izumi's lips curved into a soft sad smile and she reached up and pulled her mother into a hug. "I'm sorry, Mom. I know you're worried but I'm fine."

"You can't tell me not to worry." Inko cried and held her girl tightly to her. "I wouldn't be a mother if I didn't worry."

"I know… don't worry." She pulled back and kissed her cheeks. She grabbed her mother's hands tightly in hers giving her a confident smile and determined eyes. "Once I take the UA test, it'll all be over. You won't have to worry about me again, I promise."

"Mmmmm…." Inko nodded and smiled. "Study hard, ace those tests, and keep up your training. I know you'll pass, Izumi. There's nothing your mind can't do."

Izumi's grinned flashed wide.

"It's my greatest weapon." She let go of her mom. "I'm off!"

"Have a good day!" She waved and held her chest sighing with relief. For the first time in months she saw her real baby girl. The young woman who'd sat across from her at dinner the past several on this was someone she'd never seen before. Now with that look of determination and genuine smile Inko felt as if everything really would be alright.

Perhaps she was in the wrong after all, Inko thought. From the day they'd found out she was quirkless Inko should have continued to support her dream and encourage her to follow it. It was a mother's duty to protect her child, that was true, but it also a mother's duty to ensure their child was happy and to follow their dreams.

From now on, Inko determined clenching her fists, she would support her daughter with everything she had. It didn't matter if she came home bruised and bleeding, so long as she came home safe that would be enough.

When it started getting close for school to be let out she decided she wanted to reward Izumi's hard work and dedication. She started prepping the food for Pork Cutlet bowl which were Izumi's favorite dish, and pulled out all the necessary equipment for it. She pulled the pork out of the freezer to defrost and went through her vegetable crisper to see what makings she needed to go buy at the store.

A sound from behind her startled her and as she whirled around to see what it was she felt something hard smack her against the back of the neck and knock her out cold.

**~Alderra Junior High~**

Izumi let out a long suffering sigh and flopped against her desk.

"Finally done!" She turned her cheek on the cool wood. "Between the training, torturing, and stress I didn't think I'd be as prepared for this test as I actually was. Guess Sensei was right… I absorb a lot of information in the heat of battle."

She recalled one of their combat drills including rigorous quizzing in between punches, diverting her focus between the Nomu and his quizzes. Whenever she got a question wrong she had to take a penalty, which usually came in the form of being restricted of her eyesight, One arm, one leg, or just standing still and letting Nomu knock her around. He was always careful too, making sure to order Nomu to hit her in the stomach, arm, leg, side, and avoiding the face so as not to rouse suspicion of her activities.

Her muscles ached, her arms and legs bandaged, and now thanks to Tomura she had one around her neck hiding the bruises from his choking.

"I really did say too much yesterday. I should apologize the next time I see him." She closed her eyes. "Why did I say all that to him? He's right, it really isn't any of my business."

It was just… She'd never seen anyone who looked so broken inside. She couldn't help but want to help him pick up the pieces and put him back together again.

"Hey Bakugo!" One of Bakugo's friends called out from across the classroom and she lifted her head to eye him. He was in the process of putting his books away, and was doing his best to ignore the overexcited classmate. "I just heard of this great place. All the women there walk around half naked and have-"

"I'm not interested." Bakugo grunted and shouldered his bag. "Take your sicko fantasies to someone who cares."

"Aww come on man, even you gotta appreciate a woman's body." His friend cupped hands over his own chest mimicking squeezing boobs. Bakugo grunted in response and paused by Izumi glaring down at her. Their eyes met and Izumi could actually see the gears turning around in his head.

"What? Aren't you going to run away from me again, Baka Usagi? The hell are you staring at?"

"I'm not going to my friend's house today." She told him and stood up so they were nearly eye to eye.

"What? You got tired of being his punching bag? Who the fuck is this loser?" He gripped the front of her shirt. "If you want someone to beat you up on a daily basis you should have just asked me. I'd knock you around if you asked."

She grabbed his hand, and surprised him by pressing on a pressure point and forcing him to let go of her shirt.

"Your way of knocking me around, and his are two different kettles, Kacchan." She shoved him back. "Sensei is teaching me to defend myself, not looking to shove me into place."

"Ha?" Bakugo's brow twitched and he flexed his hand. He watched Izumi's eyes go cool with disinterest as she picked up her back. "You mean to tell me that all this time you've been training?"

"That's right." Izumi shouldered her bag. "Got a problem?"

"Damn right I've got a problem!" He stood up straight again and glared down at her. "You're doing all this to get into UA? How many times have I gotta tell yah? A quirkless person cannot be a hero! Grow up!"

"YOU GROW UP!" She shouted back at him, gaining the full attention of the classmates who lingered. "I'm sick and tired of you putting me down all the time! I'm not yours to protect anymore, Kacchan! I can take care of myself!"

"Like hell you can! Learning a few martial arts moves isn't gonna count for squat when you go up against real villains! Stop trying to make that stupid promise from preschool come true!"

"That's got nothing to do with it!" She shoved him back, surprising him again at how much force she'd pushed him back with. Before he had a chance to react she had her forearm against his throat and her eyes went hot with anger. "I'm getting into UA, Kacchan. I'm not gonna settle to being your underling anymore. I'm not a victim, I'm not your pet, and I sure as well will never be your sidekick. When we get to UA you and I are rivals! I'm gunning for the top spot." She shoved away and shouldered her bag. "Try to keep up."

She used his momentary shock to make her escape. Her body was fueled with adrenaline now and she wished she could go work off some of the energy by going to Sensei's.

...but she promised her mother she'd be home after school, and a promise was a promise.

She ran all the way home, bypassing people who eyed her curiously. She had a desperate urge to just keep running, and not look back… but smoke caught her eye. She paused in her walk panting some and eying the direction it was coming from.

"That looks pretty close to home…" She started jogging again… and as she got closer went into a full on sprint. Panic bubbled in her throat as the closer she got to her apartment, the louder the sounds of chaos rang in her ears.

Her eyes went wide and wild when she hit the crowd of people and stare up at her apartment building that was erupting in flames. Firefighters scattered around trying to tame the flames but to little avail.

"I only see pedestrian workers, where are all the heroes?" One concerned onlooker said, struck with horror.

"There's a massive gang villain attack in the center of town. They've got their hands full with them."

"What about All Might? Wasn't he supposed to be in town?"

"All Might? You didn't expect him to stay in a small city like ours for long did you? He probably went back to Tokyo."

No heroes? No All Might? What about the people inside? Who was going to help them?

"Mama…" Izumi pushed her way through the crowd. She saw people getting escorted out of the building and frantically searched around for her mother's face. "MAMA!"

"Get back, young lady, it's not safe!" One of the firefighters told her trying to push her back.

"No wait, you don't understand. My mother, my mother was in our apartment. I need to find her!" Izumi tried to push through.

"Usagi!?" She jerked her head around, saw Bakugo staring wide eyed up at the flames. "The hell is going on?"

"Kacchan! Kacchan my mother!" She ran to him grabbing his jacket. "My mother might still be inside. We need to call a hero, someone has to help!"

"They are helping, relax and let the professionals do their job." Bakugo tried to comfort but Izumi violently shook her head.

"WHAT PROFESSIONALS? THEY'RE JUST STANDING AROUND TRYING TO PUT THE FIRE OUT! NO ONE IS GOING INSIDE TO LOOK FOR HER!"

"Calm down, Usagi!" He grabbed her shoulders. "Getting hysterical isn't going to help."

He was right, she knew he was right but Izumi couldn't get rid of the sick panic inside her chest. She trembled in his arms let him hold her as she watched the fire blazed.

_Your mind is your greatest weapon. Use it well. _

Izumi's eyes darted around the building trying to think of a solution. She spotted an entryway that was currently flooded with water, it was a straight shot from where she was at… and she didn't hesitate. Shoving Bakugo away she made a break for it.

"USAGI!" Bakugo reached out, and cursed as the crowd closed around him blocking his view. "GET OUT OF THE WAY!"

"HEY YOU!" A man stepped in her path but Izumi wrapped his body in her quirk and tossed him aside. She darted into the entry way tossing her jacket and bag aside and racing up the steps to the third level. The smoke levels were high and she pressed her handkerchief to her mouth to help block it out.

"Mama!? Mama can you hear me!?" She parted the flaming path with her quirk and bust down the door to the apartment. She spotted her mother lying on the floor and was by her side instantly. "Mama!"

"Izu...mi?" Inko stirred, her head bleeding and her voice weak.

"I'm here! I'm here Mama! Stay with me!"

"I'm sorry Izumi…" Inko cried and lifted a hand to touch her daughter's ash covered cheek. "I'm so sorry."

"No Mama… no don't say those words to me. It's okay. Everything's okay." Izumi cried and tried to lift her up but Inko was dead weight in her arms. "Come on Mama, stand up, we gotta get you out of here."

Out of options Izumi wrapped Inko in her quirk and used it to help her stand. She braced Inko on her back and tried to walk back towards the door but the ceiling caved in, flames rising higher. Izumi hissed out a breath and covered her face cursing.

"Damn it… now what?"

She could only use her quirk on one large object at a time. Which meant she'd have to put her mother down in order to pry the flames apart. On top of that she didn't know if the stairwell would hold her weight again.

"I don't have a choice, We're too high up to go out the window." She lifted the quirk off her mother just long enough to whip the flames apart and then quickly picked her mother up again and ran through them. She felt the ground under her feet waver as she hurried down the path to the stairwell. She ducked a falling flame covered door and quickly leapt over it, grunting as she struggled to keep her quirk in check. Sweat bead down her temples, and her vision began to blur.

"Don't pass out," she ordered herself. "Don't you dare pass out, you can do this."

She reached the second level and spotted shadowy figures coming towards her. Her legs buckled and Izumi struggled as they tried to take her mother from her.

"No!" she hoarse out, her throat raw from inhaling smoke. "NO!"

"It's okay, miss, we've got her, we've got you both!" Arms wrapped around her and as Izumi felt the sun on her face again she heard applause and cheers ring out. The fire was finally starting to die down, and both she and her mother were the last occupants to be rescued. Everyone else was accounted for, no casualties reported and only a few injured thus far.

Dazed and dizzy Izumi allowed the paramedics to strap her to an oxygen tank and feed her clean air.

"That was foolish kid, brave but foolish." The paramedics told her. "The hell were you thinking just leaping into the building like that? You could have been killed. Next time leave it to the pros."

"FINALLY!" The head firefighter shouted as the heroes rushed through, The Pro Hero "Backdraft" was immediately helping to put out the flames, while Death arms and several other local heroes help with the wounded.

"Seems you guys had the situation well under control." Death arms said graciously. "You've our thanks for holding down the fort."

"The situation in town?"

"Under control. All Might is handling the rest, and sent us off to help you guys."

All Might? Izumi groaned as she drifted in and out of the conversation. He was here? Why didn't he come to help?

"Hey! This woman isn't breathing!" Someone shouted and more paramedics hurry over. "I tried giving her oxygen but she just suddenly stopped responding."

Izumi, still dazed shifted her eyes towards the ruckus and noticed the woman in question was her mother. Panic bubbled up and she ripped the oxygen off to stumble to her mother.

"Mom! MAMA!" She felt arms come around her, too weak and injured to fight them off Izumi watched helplessly as two men attempted CPR and mouth to mouth but to no avail.

At 5:25pm Inko Midoriya was pronounced dead by smoke inhalation.

_**~Ask Briry~**_

_**Briry: Okay this, this is it, I promise I will post on the others before I post here again. I didn't realize just how anxious and excited I was to get this fic rolling. The flow is just coming out of me whereas lately I've been having problems with plot points and background. I hope you all are enjoying this despite the lack of commitment in my other fics. **_

_**Next Chapter: Karma**_


	4. Karma

**Midori the Villain**

**Chapter 4: Karma**

**~Police Station~**

After being checked out at the hospital, Izumi was immediately brought to the police station

"The rescue workers tried to salvage as much as they could from your apartment but there wasn't much left " The social worker told Izumi sliding two boxes at her feet. Izumi eyed it with dull broken eyes and a tight lipped frown.

"Thank you." She replied numbly

After being checked out by the hospital she was immediately brought into the police station to be questioned and provided for. They gave her hot soup, a change of clothes, and a for to sleep on while she waited for the social workers to do their thing.

"You don't have any other contracts other than your deceased mother listed. Is there any family You want us to call or maybe a friend of the family?"

"Everyone is dead or too far away to care." She shut her eyes. "I've no one left."

"I see...well we can set you up with a foster family for the time being." She started opening up a file and paused when the door opened.

"Excuse me, may I have a moment of your time?" One of the detectives popped in holding up a file. "I want to see if she recognizes any of the suspects we've brought in."

"Of course, Detective… Izumi?" The social worker turned to her and gripped her hand for support. "I'll be right outside if you need me."

"I'll be fine." Izumi pulled the blanket they'd given her tighter around her shoulders and glanced up as the Detective started setting pictures out in front of her.

"Thank you for your cooperation, Izumi. Now then, do you recognize any of these faces."

"Yes," she said immediately, her eyes flickering over all of them. "I recognize them all. They're members of a notorious arsenal gang. I've seen them on TV and online news articles."

"You've a good memory. They haven't been on the news for several years." The detective nodded, thinking the kid could make an excellent cop. "Have you seen any of them around your neighborhood before?"

"No I…" she drifted off and paused taking a closer look at one. She picked up the picture and studied it. "Wait a minute… this one kinda looks like one of my neighbors, but younger."

"Kaito Lee, you've seen him?"

"No, but… there's a man who lives in my building named Ryuuji. I only know his name because the landlord has to bang on his door and shout to collect rent. He's a drunkard and often shouts at kids from his window." She went a little blue faced. "He yelled at me when I bumped into him on my way to school. Told me to get my skinny butt out of his way. He's not very nice."

"Excellent." The detective nodded. "We'll bring Mr. Ryuuji in for questioning and if we're right and he has a connection with Kaito, then that's the motive we're looking for. Thank you for your time, Izumi, and I'm sorry for your loss."

When Izumi only numbly nodded the detective rubbed the top of her head comfortingly before exiting. He let out a heaving breath and turned to the social worker.

"That was a big help. Luckily she's got an incredible memory."

"She's a bright kid, I'm so sorry this happened to her." The social worker agreed sighing heavily. "Detective Tsukauchi… I'm a citizen of the law, but isn't there someway we could avoid having her go into foster care? There's gotta be someone we could call, someone she's familiar with."

"That may not be necessary." Tsukauchi smiled. "As a matter of fact, not too long ago, i received a call from someone who claimed to be the girl's teacher. He's been giving her martial arts lessons and has offered to take the girl in if she agrees to it."

"I never thought of the teacher angle, I'll talk to her, see what she says."

**~A few hours later~**

Izumi and the driver hefted the two boxes of her belongings into the town car. She thanked the social worker and the detective before sliding in and curling up into the backseat. She was surprised that the social worker had so easily agreed to let her go when the driver only presented a letter or representation. When Izumi explained that her sensei was sick and unable to leave his facility they'd taken it in stride and allowed the driver to sign all the papers in The Master's stead.

As of today she was the ward of one Hiroki Nomura, a pseudonym she was sure, for her Sensei. She'd expected the driver to take her to the bar, but instead pulled up to a swanky looking apartment building. She eyed the building ominously and took the card key the driver handed her.

"I shall bring up your things, Miss Midoriya. Your room is on the very top floor. The master is waiting for you there."

Izumi nodded and took a deep breath eying the building one last time before entering. She showed the card to the security guard and he waved her in. She then used the card to access the elevator and took it to the very top floor to the penthouse. A small hallway was decorated with gothic decor, and she could hear opera playing behind the door.

As she entered the room, only candle light flickered over the form standing at a wide open window overlooking the city. Still connected to tubes and wires, All for One was limited in the space he could walk around, but somehow he still came off intimidating and cold.

"Welcome home, Izumi Midoriya." The knife flew past All for One's ear. Imbedding in the glass window causing it to crack. He calmly took a seat back in his chair folding his hands on his lap as he turned to face her. "That's dangerous, my dear."

"I have one question and one question only, Sensei." Several knives float around her ready to launch at a moments command. Her eyes, now fierce and teary focused solely on his every movement. "Did you order those men to kill my mother?"

"I did not…" He told her calmly and crossed his legs assuming a power of position. "I can't say I don't feel responsible though. The men in question were members I was hiring for my upcoming plans… I released them from prison hoping they would join the cause, but it would seem one of them has some debts to collect."

Izumi let out a short pithy laugh and sent another dagger flying This one nicking his ear and sticking into the cushion of his chair.

"So it was all just an unfortunate circumstance? You're so full of it! I don't believe you!" She let the other knives drop and she ran fingers through her hair. "Why did you do it? Why did you kill my mother?" She went to her knees sobbing. "She's the only family I had left! I've done everything you wanted! I trained, I worked, I studied, I took your abuse and so called lessons willingly. I swore never to reveal your secrets and I've kept that oath so WHY!?"

"You're being a victim again, Izumi." All for One clucked his tongue. "I thought you said you didn't want to be a victim anymore."

"My mother was the victim!" She grabbed up the knife and stalked towards him and pressed it to his throat. "You're the asshole who took her away from me! I should have never gotten involved with you! I HATE YOU!"

"I'm telling you the truth, Izumi. I can have the men in question brought right to you and they can tell you themselves. The only thing I asked of them was to join the League of Villains." he felt Izumi press the knife harder to his throat. "You can kill me if you'd like. It won't bring your mother back. You'll be an orphan once again, shoved into foster care and forced to leave your school and you can say bye-bye to UA."

"I don't care about that anymore." She felt the tears slipping down her face. "It was my stupid dream and my stupid selfish desires that got her killed." The knife clattered and she fell to her knees in front of him. "It's my fault… it's all my fault. She's gone… she's-" Izumi wailed and cried hysterically. She covered her face in her palms. She didn't jerk away when All for One set his hand atop her head and stroked her hair in a comforting motion.

All around her her quirk vibrated with power, lifting furniture and objects off the ground all around them. All for One couldn't help but smile at the sensation of it. This raw emotion was strengthening her quirk, making it more vital, more powerful.

"It isn't your fault, Izumi." He said comfortingly. "The fault lies with me, and with those that failed to save her. You risked your life to protect your mother, you ran straight into the flames without a second's hesitation and pulled her out. It was only bad luck that she'd inhaled too much smoke at that point. If help had arrived sooner she would have survived."

Izumi's sobs quieted because she couldn't deny his words. She sniffled and lifted her head up, all for One's hand still stroking her hair.

"You lack experience Izumi. You had the bravery and power to help her, but not the experience to efficiently carry out the rescue. These are all things that will change once you attend U.A." He helped her up off the ground and sat her on his lap wiping the tears away. "That's still what you want, isn't it Izumi?"

Izumi lowered her head and nodded.

"Then continue your training under me. Whatever you want, I am here for you my dear. Your my daughter now." He held her to him, the scent of his medicines and cologne gave Izumi a headache, but she was so desperate for comfort and affection that she curled right in. "Even if you hate me for the part I've played in your mother's death… I am here for you. All you've to do is ask."

**~Kurogiri's Bar~**

Izumi skipped school the next day so she could spend time getting familiar with her new surroundings and settle in at the penthouse. At her request, All for One set up a shrine for her mother right in the living space and she knelt beside to pray for her mother's forgiveness.

She couldn't blame All for One for her mother's death. She had no proof that he'd hired those villains. It was only because of the coincidences that she suspected him in the first place. The Coincidences being that the arsenalist who attacked just happened to have a connection with her building, The Heroes just happened to be too busy to help, and her mother just happened to be the only person to die in a fire. Until she could prove otherwise, she'd give her Sensei the benefit of the doubt. Even if she did prove it, Izumi wasn't sure she had the stomach to kill anyone.

After her training she sat in the bar as usual with Kurogiri and Tomura. She was surprised when he showed up without "Father" on his face. He sat silently next to her, hadn't offered her condolences, but just sat companionably with her in silence. It was more comfort than she'd expected from him after what she had said to him.

"I'm sorry…" She played with the straw in her ice tea. "I shouldn't have said those things to you, Tomura."

"Don't apologize," He told her gulping down his own drink and shoving the glass aside. "It annoys me."

"Still…" She glanced at him. "You have every right to be angry with me."

"So long as you take responsibility for what you said, I won't be." He told her simply and scratched a nail over the counter of the bar.

"What do you mean?" She raised a brow.

"You said I no longer have to take punishment for killing my father. I no longer have him around to remind me of my sins, or dictate my actions. So I need you to pick up the slack." He turned his cruel eyes to her. "You're going to take care of me from now on."

"Eh?" She blushed at that and tucked loose hair behind her ear. "Well I-"

"That wasn't a request." He grabbed her chin forcing her to look in his eyes. "You're Master's daughter now… you're a part of our family. Which means you're not allowed to leave, ever."

"Tomura…" She looked at him a bit sympathetically but then smiled. "Are you saying you'd be lonely without me?"

"Tch," he flicked his fingers away and turned back toward the bar scratching his neck. "Don't put words in my mouth, girl."

"Mmmm…" Izumi smiled and turned sideways again but this time leaned into his shoulder. "I won't leave… I don't have anywhere else to go."

Tomura stopped scratching to look down at her.

"What about this Kacchan person you always talk about?"

Izumi thought of the last time she'd seen him. She'd blatantly declared war claiming she was gunning for top hero… the not an hour later she was sobbing in his arms over her mother's death. Embarrassment washed over her and she shut her eyes.

"I don't want to see him. I'd just feel like an idiot around him."

"You are an idiot." He said but lifted an arm and touched her head. He made sure to keep one finger off so as not to ruin all that soft fragrant hair of hers.

"Doesn't mean I have to feel like one." She pouted.

Kurogiri came in with dinner setting the food out on the trays and then handing a newspaper to Tomura. He let go of her to take it and grunted at the front page that hosted All Might's face.

"Figures the loud mouth fool gets all of the publicity. Your mother died and she's only briefly mentioned on page six. What kind of justice is that. Symbol of Peace my ass." He crumpled the paper up and turned it to ash.

Izumi stomach twisted up in knots at that and she hunched. More and more she was realizing that Sensei and Tomura's outlook on hero society was true. When she'd browsed through her phone to peek at the news she noticed that the fire was hardly mentioned at all.

There were tons of clips of All Might and the other heroes taking down a gaggle of gang members and controlling the chaos that happened in town. No one was killed as all the heroes did their jobs to keep people safe… but the one bit of information that had an actual casualty was hastily mentioned as a passing comment.

It didn't make sense to her…

Surely there could have been a way for the chaos downtown to be handled. At the very least they should have excused BackDraft from the chaos to come help…

"Heroes only get paid if they get attention." Kurogiri said offhandly. "A small apartment complex on the outskirts of town is set on fire, or a skuffle of villains causing riots downtown. Naturally the fools are going to respond to the one that would gain more attention."

Izumi clenched her fist as the truth of his words hit home and tears filled her eyes.

"_Where are all the heroes?"_

_"There's a massive gang villain attack in the center of town. They've got their hands full with them."_

_"What about All Might? Wasn't he supposed to be in town?"_

_"All Might? You didn't expect him to stay in a small city like ours for long did you? He probably went back to Tokyo."_

...but All Might was there. He was in town. So why didn't he come help?

_"The hell were you thinking just leaping into the building like that? You could have been killed. Next time leave it to the pros."_

Izumi's teeth grit as anger bubbled up inside her. What pros? No one was there? What should she have done!?

_"Seems you guys had the situation well under control. You've our thanks for holding down the fort."_

_"The situation in town?"_

_"Under control. All Might is handling the rest, and sent us off to help you guys."_

WHY WASN'T HE THERE?!

"WHY!?" Izumi's quirk flared out, her plate of food launching across the room and smashing against what was left of the All Might poster.

"Miss Midoriya?" Surprised by her action Kurogiri leaned over the counter toward her. "Are you alright?"

"No! No I'm not alright!" She wiped her tears. "Why wasn't anyone there? There were plenty of heroes around to come help, but no one came! I got lectured for jumping in to save my mother, and was told to let the pros handle it but there weren't any around! What was I supposed to do!?"

"I told you before that this world sees nothing but sunshine and rainbows." Tomura said and stood up walking to the mess against the wall. "All Might created a legend and made everyone believe he could save everyone, and anyone, but it's all a lie. Heroes only care about one thing and that's being famous and getting paid. Very few of them actually give a damn about the world. It's all nonsense."

"It's a bitter pill to swallow, Miss Midoriya." Kurogiri pat her hand. "One we've all had to swallow. It's why we're here, why we've taken comfort in each other. We want to change the world, want to show people that life isn't peaceful, it isn't carefree. There's danger all around us, and heroes aren't doing their jobs as well as we're made to believe they are."

"You're right…" Izumi admitted her breath panting and body shaking. "You were right the entire time. The heroes aren't doing their part. Things need to change!"

Tomura shared a confident look with kurogiri over Izumi's crumpling form.

"Kacchan… everyone we know believes he'll become a hero because he displays everything a hero needs. He's smart, strong, confident… he's got an amazing flashy quirk that'll gain attention." She lifted her head tears falling down her face. "That isn't what a hero should be recognized for."

"So what are you gonna do about it?" Tomura sat back and wiped a stray tear away. "You gonna let fools like him become heroes? You going to let society dictate who should be a hero and who shouldn't?"

"No…" Her head shot up and the fierce determination shined in her green orbs. "I'm going to show the world what a hero should really be like."

**~Later~**

Once Izumi left for the penthouse, Tomura smugly sat in his seat laughing to himself.

"Things are as they should be."

"Is it? She still wants to be a hero."

"Ah, but not the kind she wanted to be before. A few more pushes, a few more ideas planted into her head and she'll officially be one of us."

"What sort of pushes did you have in mind?" Kurogiri questioned and picked up a glass to wipe it down.

"Master is picking up a gift for our cute Izumi. I'm going to present it to her all neat and tidy with a bow." His grin spread wide and crazed. "I can't wait to see the look on her face when she sees it."

**~A few days later~**

Izumi skipped school for the next few days, but promised herself she'd return Monday morning, fresh and ready to learn. She kept up her training and saw the changes it made to her body. She was leaner, faster, and more focused than she'd ever been before. She loved the physical labor of it, love the way it made her mind clear and easy to organize.

She had yet to beat Sensei at chess, but had come extremely close. If she had only been paying attention to the sneaking moves of his knight she could have won.

"Just one more game, please Sensei!" She begged. "I'm so close, I can feel it!"

"Now, now, my dear…" All for One laughed and put the game away. "You've other priorities. Your test is only a few days away, and I've something special planned for you today."

"Oh?" She leaned onto her hand smirking. "What is it this time? Waterboarding? Hanging me upside til my face turns red? An Iron maiden?"

"No punishment." He clutched a finger under his chin and rolled his chair forward motioning Izumi to follow him. She obediently walked beside him smoothing out her black skirt. He'd bought her a bunch of new outfits, all expensive and elaborate making her feel girly and spoiled. Not really her style, but she appreciated his effort to butter her up.

"What is it then?" She laughed and her eyes lifted up and she was surprised to see Tomura standing in the center ring. "Tomura? What are you doing here?"

"I'm giving you a gift." He pulled the box from behind his back and handed it to her. Izumi raised a brow and stepped to him accepting the gift. She undid the bow and lifted the lid. Her eyes went wide and confused at the selection of blades inside. Along with the blades were holster straps for her arm and thigh so she could keep them on her person.

"Why are you giving me these?"

"They're for you, you can do with them as you like." He told her. "These are from me… but this," he stepped off to the side and crooked his fingers and Izumi heard chains rattling from the dark "is from the master."

Nomu stepped forward dragging a body that wriggled against chains and a mouth gag. He tossed the man at Izumi's feet and she went pale as she instantly recognized the face. It was Kaito Lee, the arsenalist who had been arrested for the fire and her mother's murder.

"How did you… He's supposed to be in prison." She shook, trying to keep her emotions under control but the black flames were already forming around her fists.

"Prison, please…" Tomura sniffed. "A free place to live, free food to eat, and fellow criminals to conspire with. Hardly sounds like punishment to me, now does it Izumi?" He grabbed some strands of her hair between four fingers and gently played with it.

"You said you didn't believe me when I told you I didn't order this man to kill your mother." All for One said folding his fingers together over his lap. "I brought this man before you, so you may question him yourself. As I told you before I will give you whatever you wish. If you want me to send him back to prison I will do so. If you want me to set him free I will do so. If you want me to kill him…" he paused smiling when he sensed the fear rising in the man at Izumi's feet. "You've only to ask."

Izumi wasn't sure what she wanted. She remained standing, shaking with emotion. Her face had gone ghost pale and she looked into the eyes of the man responsible for killing her mother.

"Ungag him…" she whispered. Tomura obliged and snapped the gag off.

"Wait! Please don't kill me! I'm sorry!" The villain blubbered and bowed before her. "I just used my quirk to scare my old man! I wanted the money he promised me. I didn't mean to-"

"Didn't mean to what?" She grit her teeth her eyes sharpening. "Didn't expect anyone to die after you set the building ablaze? Didn't think it was fun scaring the life out of the tenants, injuring innocent people all for what? Money? Revenge?"

"Please… please I beg of you, have mercy!" He bowed before her. "Please don't kill me!"

"I won't kill you, that's not the kind of person I am." Izumi admitted. She handed the knives back to Tomura earning a grunt of disapproval. "My mother had a saying. She said Karma is the greatest source of justice in the world. When bad people do bad things it's up to Karma to give them what they deserve."

Izumi glanced back at All for One who sat back waiting to hear what she has to say.

"Master, you can take quirks as well as give them right?"

"I can." He confirmed.

"Take away his quirk… make sure he can never use it for evil again." She turned down to the man. "My mother died of suffocation. Removing your quirk is punishment for destroying the apartment I called home. For killing my mother…" She grabbed him by the hair. "I've another sort of punishment in mind."

"No! Wait please! Don't!" He fought against her, but the chains and Nomu's assistance rendered him helpless against the teenage girl's grip. Reading her mind Tomura shoved a bucket of water in front of her and Izumi dunked Kaito's face in holding it there as he wriggled. She brought him back up for air, letting him sputter and whimper before shoving him back down again.

She felt herself being cut right down the middle. The two sides of her personality started to tug and pull her apart inside. Her conscience kept screaming at her to stop. This isn't the kind of person she was! This was torture, it wasn't up to her to pass judgement.

...but as she watched him struggle to breathe a sense of power and control build up inside her. Why couldn't she have the right? It was her home that had gone up in flames, it was her mother that had been killed! What right did the justice system have when they did nothing to help?

They'd been powerless… not because they didn't have the sources or means, but because they hadn't used the power correctly. The rescue workers did what they could, but they were just biding their time until heroes arrived. The firefighters, the paramedics, the police, all of the standard rescue workers relief too heavily on the heroes to get the job done.

The heroes had taken too long, too busy thinking about their own fame and exposure to think of the innocents that really needed their help. Thanks to them her home was gone and her mother was dead. So why should she give them any more power when she knew they'd just botch it like before?

She had power now, Izumi thought and her lips slowly curved. Her Master had given her power because he knew she was smart enough, brave enough, and bold enough to do what needed to be done. Her eyes took on an almost crazed look. So… she thought… this was what it felt like to be strong. This was what it felt like to have someone's life in the palm of your hands.

It was intoxicating.

"Karma's a bitch." She laughed low and throaty. "Now so am I."

**~Ask Briry~**

**Briry: Anybody else feeling a bit cold after that? *shudder* I had a dream about that scene and let me tell yah I woke up in a cold sweat. Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! **

**Next Chapter: The New Izumi Midoriya**


	5. The New Izumi Midoriya

**Midori the Villain**

**Chapter 5: The New Izumi Midoriya**

Izumi wasn't sure what was happening to her, but she was damn sure she liked it. She was changing… she felt more confident, more in control, and unafraid of change. The image of the timid rabbit was slowly vanishing and in its place was a hungry wolf ready to take on the world.

That was all mental, though. Izumi knew that to erase the image of her former self she needed to recreate who she was. She stare at herself long and hard in the mirror admiring each individual trait with scrutiny. Her eyes were more fierce and focus then before and that was good. She could feel with the delicate features of her face as it paired well with the body that was growing and developing.

She was happy that her breasts were big, it made her feel grown and feminine and she couldn't resist posing to the side and watching them protrude out. She had a woman's curves, elegant arms and legs, and those made up for the fact she was short.

Her hair… something had to be done there. Her first thought was to cut it, but the moment she picked up the scissors she felt her hand shake and immediately disregarded the idea. She styled it this way and that way, pouting and trying to think. She glanced to the side at the magazines and articles she'd been browsing through… and spotted midnight's picture on the cover of a fashion magazine.

Maybe that was it… instead of changing the style she could change the color. She twirled a finger around a curl trying to picture herself with black hair… and had to smile. Liking the idea she grabbed up her bag and jogged to a nearby store to pick up all the supplies she needed for her transformation.

When she returned home she got to work, and spent a good three hours before finally settling on the image she wanted to portray.

"This is it…" Izumi decided looking at the final product in the mirror with a confident smile. "This is me."

When she walked into that classroom Monday morning, Kacchan and the rest of her class wouldn't see a timid rabbit anymore. Instead they would see her, strong, confident, and edgy. So long as she could keep the inside matching the image she'd created on the outside, she knew Kacchan would have to accept her. She wouldn't give him a choice.

Walking out of her room she was surprised to see Tomura sitting on the couch flipping through channels. Her lips curved slowly into a smirk and she crossed her arms.

"Did we have a date, Shigaraki?"

"Master said you weren't coming today, and that pissed me off. Kurogiri is in the kitchen cooking dinner." He snapped the TV off with temper and turned his head to face her. "The hell did you do to your hair?"

"Do you like it?" She strung fingers through her black locks posing. "I was trying for a more intimidating look."

"You're as intimidating as a rabbit with fangs." He pointed out and had Izumi's confidence deflating. She hung her head mumbling.

"Maybe I will cut my hair after all." She shook it off and walked to her backpack searching through it for her notebook. "I was just gonna turn on Hero hour and do some research. Will that bother you?"

"There's nothing good on, so do what you want." He scoot over so she could sit next to him and he played with her curls. "You intimidated that arsonist just fine yesterday, so why are you worried about your look?"

"I guess I'm trying to break down this image of myself." She turned the TV back on an folded her legs up. She was used to him playing with her hair, and had actually come to enjoy it. She trusted him not to damage her hair… actually it surprised her just how much she did trust him.

"The "usagi" image?" He brushed hair away from her neck, and stare at the naked nape of her neck intently.

"Yeah…" She scribbled notes and muttered a bit before continuing. "Kacchan he… he's what I would call the personification of Victory. No matter the odds he always seems to push the boundaries and come out on top. He wins no matter what, because in his mind that's what a hero is. A hero is someone who never loses."

"Tch, Kacchan…" Tomura muttered, feeling the jealousy boil in his gut. He leaned into her neck breathing on it. "He saw you as weak, someone who needed protecting and told you over and over you couldn't be a hero. You want to prove him wrong?"

"Exactly." She let out a small shiver at the feel of his breath and she turned her face, the two of them nose to nose. "What are you doing?"

"What I want…" He grabbed her notebook with his thumb and forefinger and tossed it to the floor before leaning her back on the couch. "I always do what I want."

Izumi fell onto her back, her black hair now spreading out over the crimson cushions of the couch. Her breath caught in her throat as she caught sight of the look in his eyes…. It made her heart pound wildly in her chest.

"T-Tomura?"

"Consider it confidence training… if you want "Kacchan…" he said the name with malice and bent down to flick his tongue over her neck. When she trembled at the sensation his lips curved wickedly. "... if you want him to believe you're confident, then you have to have confidence in every aspect of yourself."

"I suppose you're right but-" she inhaled sharply when his teeth sank in and she bowed and arched under him. "Tomura!"

"Karma…" he whispered her villain name, the sound of it from his raspy voice had something stirring inside her. She felt her legs start to spread around him, her eyes softening with arousal. Her arms came up to wrap around his neck and she nuzzled into him.

She felt his hand slide under her blouse four fingers tickling along the skin and making little flicks of heat dance inside her belly. Her aroused eyes close and she felt him shift so their faces were nose to nose again.

"Open your eyes, Karma." He waited for those emerald orbs to open, smirked at the submissive look in them. "Much better. I'll help you find confidence in your body, but you better make sure that every man who looks at you knows your taken."

Before Izumi could ask what he meant by that she felt Tomura's mouth press onto hers. Her eyes widen a moment but then soften again. Her first kiss… it was something she'd fantasized about, something she'd picture so much more romantic and gentle. His lips were cut and chapped making the kiss rough and almost painful… but somehow the pain and possessiveness in it stirred her on more. His grip on her breast made her bow and bend under him and she found herself responding willingly to the kiss and his touch.

"Lunch is re-" Kurogiri walked into the livingroom holding a tray of drinks, but he froze mid sentence. The sight of Shigaraki and Izumi tangled together was enough to have embarrassment creeping up. Shigaraki's hands had shoved Izumi's shirt all the way up so her bra was in sight, her legs wrapped around his waist, their laps pressed intimately, and their mouths in a kissing frenzy. He heard Izumi moan, and the glasses drop to the ground with a sharp crash.

Shigaraki paused at the noise and cursed ripping from the kiss to glare back at Kurogiri.

"The hell do you want? Can't you see we're busy?"

"Uh, no I… uh that is I made lunch and." Kurogiri cleared his throat and backed away slowly. "I'll just get a broom to clean this up."

"Leave it… in fact get lost. We'll eat later." He growled and nodded his head in a motioned telling him to leave. Izumi had gone bright red at being caught in the act and she struggled with embarrassment.

"T-Tomura it's okay, maybe we can just…" she squeaked when Tomura's grip on her breast increased and he turned his angered look to her.

"I said… we'll eat later." He sat up and deciding to get some more privacy hauled Izumi up and over his shoulder. His thin build wavered a little under the strain. "You need to lose some weight."

"Excuse me!?" Izumi's brow twitched with irritation.

"There's no excuse for you," He turned to Kurogiri who remained standing stunned in the room. "And you, didn't I tell you to get lost?"

"Leave him alone and put me down, Shigaraki I'm no longer in the mood to play with you!" Izumi wriggled and used her quirk on his hands trying to pry them off but he just held on tighter. As she jerked his hands, she just jerked herself with him. She made a mental note to practice on precision movements. Just surrounding things in her energy and pulling on them wasn't gonna be enough in certain circumstances.

She continued to squirm and complain as Tomura carried her into the bedroom and closed the door behind them. He dropped Izumi unceremoniously on the bed and she instantly sent a lamp flying across the room and at Shigaraki. He caught it and turned it to just and sparks.

"Jerk!"

"We started something out there in the livingroom, and we're going to finish it." He reached out grabbing a fist of her shirt and having it decay and fall open.

"You've no class or taste in this matter. I'm not ready Tomura, and I don't know as I want you to be my first!"

"You seemed pretty into it a few moments ago." he crawled over top of her and grabbed her neck, his hand covered in her barrier again. He took a full grip on her neck now squeezing just enough to have her breath catching and eyes glaring up at him. "Why all of a sudden are you chickening out?"

"I'm not scared." She lied and fisted her hands in the blankets. "I'm pissed off. I know you're not the roses and poetry type, Shigaraki, but even you could show a little decorum with this kind of thing."

He squeezed a little more, anger and frustration grinding at his insides. He saw the look in her eyes, the mix of fear, anger, and annoyance making his cluck his tongue and pull back.

"Fine… what do you want me to do?"

She sat up tossing the ruined shirt aside and sitting knee to knee with him on her bed. She took his face in her hands and kissed him gently and affectionately on the mouth.

"It's a moment, Tomura. A special one shared between two people who care about each other. I don't mind if its a little rough but… I want to feel cherished… needed." She looked him in the eyes, the anger softening to one of affection. "Do you understand?"

"No… I don't know what it's like to cherish something." He admitted, but found himself caressing her cheek, unable to stop himself from touching her. Her smile came quick and she nuzzled into his hands.

"Let me show you."

The sheer trust she had for him shattered his insides, and he had to let out a trembling breath. This time when their mouths met he felt it right down to his bones. What the hell was this girl doing to him?

"Mine…" he shuddered out and pressed her back onto the bed, but instead of touching her he just held on tight pressing his body into hers. "Be mine!"

"Mmmm…" Izumi stroked his hair comfortingly. "Okay."

_**~Monday Morning~ **_

Bakugo had been in a piss poor mood all weekend. He hadn't seen his Usagi in over a week and it was starting to get to him. Had they sent her off to some unknown orphanage? He knew her dad had family somewhere in the US so was she sent overseas? Would he never see her again?

"_Your cute little rabbit is going to find a different owner."_

Bakugo's teeth clenched as he recalled his friend's words of warning. It both pissed him off and made him panic. He ripped his cell phone out and got ready to call her for the hundredth time, but then the door to the classroom opened. All chatter in the room and his rapid beating heart stopped dead.

The girl that walked into the room was a stunner. The black sailor girl uniform was loosely adjusted, the tie missing and the buttons parted from collar to cleavage. The skirt brushed against well toned thighs, and showed off amazing legs. Curtains of black curly hair was left down with only a few pins tucking the right side to give it a more well groomed appearance.

Someone whistled loud and caught her attention and she sent a flirtatious smile over her shoulder at the person in question before turning her eyes to Bakugo and aimed that smile at him.

"Hey there, Kacchan. Long time no see."

"U-U-Usagi?" He jerked upright and eyed her up and down. "What the hell have you done to yourself?"

"Done to myself?" Insulted at first, but then amused Izumi sat on his desk crossing her legs. "I suppose that's a fair enough analysis."

"What's with the black? I know you're sad about your mother's death but don't you think you're taking this mourning thing a little too far?" He lifted her hand eying the black nailpolish. She whipped her hand away. He watched her eyes flicker with sadness and hurt before she turned them coy again.

"What I've done is revitalized myself Kacchan. My mother's death had little to do with it." She turned her head away to give herself a moment to compose before speaking again. "I've been taken in by my Sensei. I spent a week getting familiar with my new surroundings and lifestyle and decided to make the most of it. I can keep on grieving for her, but I won't let it show."

"Usagi…"

"That's not my name." she snapped at him, her green eyes turning sharply into him. She hooked a finger in the collar of his shirt and pulled him close. "I'm not Usagi anymore, Kacchan. That name is dead to me." She slipped off his desk and ran her fingers through his spiky hair. "It and my weak self died with my mother. In its place I've left Izumi Midoriya, future top hero."

It was Bakugo's turn to stand now and he gave a soft chuckle.

"Bold words from a quirkless damsel."

His laughed choked when she turned her gaze back to him. Izumi's green eyes had been a pair he'd stared into since infancy. The green eyes he stared into now belonged to a stranger… one he didn't care to know.

"You're right… words are meaningless unless backed up by action. So I'll prove it to you when we take the UA exam on Friday." She put her hands on her hips. "You'll see then that I'm not bluffing."

_**~Friday: Morning of the Test~**_

"I've a gift for you before you go." All for One told Izumi, sitting in his chair and motioning his hired hand to bring forth the gift in question.

"Make it fast, or I'm going to be late." Izumi munched on her toast and eyed the clock before turning her attention to the pretty wrapped box on the table. "It's not more weapons is it?"

"No, though you really should get accustomed to wear at least one of the straps Shigaraki gave you. Should prove useful if you're ever attacked on the streets."

"It's illegal for minors to carry weapons, Sensei." Izumi said disapprovingly as she undid the wrapping. "Just because I've accepted my family is a bunch of villains doesn't mean-" she trailed off and lifted the fabric inside the box. "What is this?"

"Training gear for the practical exam. You have to take the written in your school uniform, but they've left the dress code for the physical exam open so to allow you to best use your quirk to your advantage. It's not often I pay for these kinds of services, but I didn't want to risk you being caught with black market goods and ruin your chances of getting in."

"Sensei…" Izumi's eyes filled as she held up the black jumpsuit to her body and smiled affectionately. "I love it. Thank You."

"Take it with you, and show those fools what a real hero can do." He leaned on his knuckles smiling at her. "Make me and your mother proud."

Izumi eyed her mother's shrine a moment with a teary gaze then she leapt at All for One wrapping her arms around him.

"I will. Thank you for everything you've done for me."

"My pleasure, dear child." He gently pat her back, inwardly praising himself for completely manipulating the child. "Believe me it's my pleasure."

**~UA High School~**

"Finally made it…" Izumi breathed out the words and held a hand over her brow to cut against the blinding sun. Students were piling in in droves, nervous and excited to participate in the event. Her own nerves tickled her stomach making her want to bounce and throw up at the same time. She kept her face stoic and stepped forward towards the school.

"Usagi!"

The name made her jerk and her temple throb. That stupid nickname again. Just what the hell was it gonna take for him to stop callig her that? She slowly turned her head and forced a smile on her lips.

"Good Morning, Kacchan."

"Get out of my way now before I set you on fire."

"Oh please," she stepped to the side bowing. "After you, your highness." She waited til he was in front of her then brought up her foot to kick his rearend.

"OW! DAMN IT WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?!" He whirled around on her clenching a first ready to slam it right into that smirking mouth of hers.

"For being an ass!" She retorted.

"You better watch your mouth, Usagi. I don't care what kind of female tricks you've learned, you're still the same quirkless loser I've known since kindergarten, now do us both a favor and shove off!" He pushed her back, she stumbled and tripped landing into another girl to send them both on the ground. Without even looking back Bakugo walked away and Izumi slowly sat up wincing and glaring.

"Grrrr, that bastard. I swear to god one of these days I'm gonna…"

"Owowowow…" the girl under her mumbled and Izumi gasped and stood up.

"Shoot, sorry my bad." She helped the girl up and dusted her off. "Didn't mean to get you involved."

"Eh heh it's okay, though that's not really a sign of good luck to fall down right before the big exam am I right?" The girl smiled sheepishly at Izumi. "Guess I'm really nervous."

"I really am sorry, my friend is a jerk." she helped dust her off. Izumi caught the name sewn into her bag: Ochaco Uraraka. "Don't be nervous, I'm sure you'll do great."

"Thanks… and you're right." Ochaco waved her off. "We'll both do great. Good luck and see you inside." She jogged ahead leaving Izumi staring after her. Unable to resist she smiled.

"What a nice girl."

She made her way inside and had to grunt when she found out she was seated right next to Bakugo. She leaned on her elbows sending him a glare.

"That was a dick move, Kacchan."

"Shut up, Usagi."

"Will you stop calling me that!" She lectured right before the lights turned off and the presentation started. Present Mic came out, and Izumi inwardly fangirled. She had always wanted to meet Present Mic. She listened to his radio show all the time, and tuned in to take notes about the latest hero activities or upcoming events.

It took her five whole minutes of internal squealing before a gloomy thought came across her. She hung her head and slumped on the desk. Kacchan was right, she hadn't changed. Even after everything she'd gone through, the anger and betrayal she felt at having the heroes let her down… she still couldn't shake away fourteen years of fandom.

She began to mutter to herself about spending the next several weeks improving her character and changing her identifier. She would make Sensei put her through endless drills, make Shigaraki teach her out to come off more cool and stoic… maybe she could try picking up a bad habit to help with the badass persona she was going for.

"You!"

Izumi's head shot up and she met gazes with a student who had stood upright to ask questions. His attention turned to her and he glared at her.

"You've been muttering all this time. It's distracting."

A knot of annoyance formed at her temple as she felt her face flush with embarrassment. She had the strongest urge to curl up and hide but resisted by forcing a smile.

"Oh was I? My bad." She nearly snapped her pencil in two from annoyance. She felt her quirk snap free for only a second, and as her thoughts were currently on the boy with glasses it subconsciously traveled through her fingertips and formed around the legs of the boy's chair. The moment he began to sit down her quirk shifted the chair and he fell with a loud thud causing a riot of laughter around the room.

Karma… Izumi thought with a smug smile… she'd chosen her name well.

_**~Ask Briry~**_

_**Briry: Yay! Another chapter completed. This story really is just oozing out of me so fast I can't help it. I'm hoping to at least get the next chapter of "We are The Future: 2nd Act" up before posting this again, but I make no promises. **_

_**Next Chapter: A Test of Confidence**_


	6. A Test of Confidence

**Midori the Villain**

**Chapter 6: A Test of Confidence**

"Welcome All Might!" Principle Nezu, a small dog-like person smiled up at the symbol of Peace as he entered the room. "I trust you got a chance to wander around the newest additions to our facility.

"To be honest not much has changed. U.A has always been ahead of the curve." Toshinori Yagi, also known as All Might, stood in front of the principle and knelt down to shake his paw. "Good to see you again, ah and or wonderful staff." He nodded his head to the other teachers. "It's a pleasure."

"You haven't been announced as a teacher yet, but I didn't want you to miss out on seeing our future students in action." He whispered low. "You still indecisive about who you want to pick for a successor?"

"Yes," He fully admitted rubbing the back of his head. "You gave me a good lead with young Mirio. Still I want to test the waters, see if there's someone who can truly carry on my legacy." He held his chest. "I want to be certain, absolutely certain that I've made the right choice."

"Naturally… now then have a seat. The written exam ended just a few minutes ago and our students are now readying for the physical." Nezu hopped on his seat and motioned for All Might to do the same. "You're not a part of the panel, but at the very least I'd like your intake on the students physical capabilities and hero potential."

"Of course…" He folded his hands in his lap, his sunken eyes looking up at the screens with excitement and anticipation. "I'm looking forward to it."

**~Gates of Area B~**

Izumi stretched out her body trying to shake away the nerves. She could feel her heart ready to burst out of her chest but she couldn't let it distract her. The training outfit her Sensei had provided was a perfect fit, and hugged her body without feeling constricting. It's material was smooth to the touch, built for durability and flexibility. The sleeveless top was a V cut that showed off just enough cleavage to have a few of the boys look in her direction. It didn't move or shift despite stopping just above her navel. Her pants had no pockets but instead had straps across the thigh perfect for holstering weapons or items and was paired with sleek yet surprisingly comfortable calf boots.

"...and here I was gonna wear a tracksuit." she said with a small laugh as she did a couple squats and adjusted her brawling gloves while eyeing her competition. There was a variety of people, and with just a quick overview she was sure there were plenty of different quirks. Inner curiosity had her wishing she could just watch from the sidelines, just so she could see them all in action.

"That's not what you're here for, Izumi." She murmured to herself and took a deep breath. She started walking forward and felt an arm on her shoulder. She resisted the urge to tense up and glanced behind her. Her brow rose at the sight of the glasses boy from earlier. "Can I help you?"

"I beg your pardon miss, My name is Iida Tenya and I'd like to apologize for my rudeness during the presentation."

"Would you?" She turned setting a hand on her hip. "What for? It was clear you didn't care for me interrupting your concentration so why apologize for how you feel?"

"Still to call you out in front of everyone was not proper decorum." He adjusted his glasses. "I just can't tolerate people who don't take these important matters seriously… but watching a few moments ago I can see you're very serious about this."

"I wouldn't be here if I wasn't." She turned away from him. "Instead of worrying about your decorum I suggest you concentrate at the task at hand. Otherwise..."

"OKAY START!" present Mic called out surprising everyone, but Izumi was already running for the gate.

"You'll get left behind!" She called out over her shoulder racing ahead of the pack.

With a good lead above the others Izumi let her mind go to work. Despite being distracted during the presentation she'd been able to collect all the necessary information she needed for the test itself. Urban battles often concentrated in the heart of the city where lots of people cluttered. Smart villains preferred doing their crimes during the cover of darkness, but most villains actually did their work in broad daylight hoping to use the confusion and hustle of people to confuse the villains.

She came to a halt right as she hit the town center and spotted the mass armada of villain bots spread out. All their eyes turned to her and she felt the adrenaline rush through her. Her smile spread and she pushed out her quirk into her hands and feet.

"Oooh look, a party." She ran straight into the chaos. "Time for some fun!"

Iida caught up to Izumi just as she sent her first opponent flying. Thankfully his quirk had allowed him to get ahead of the bulk of the pack, and he'd followed his instincts by following her right to the source of the bulk of opponents. This girl was smart, he realized, smart and prepared. Whoever had trained her had a vast knowledge of the world and how it worked just as his own family did.

Izumi knew she would end up sharing her find but hadn't expected to be found so soon. It became clear to her that iida possessed a speed quirk that not only enhanced his movements, but his strength as well. She watched him break apart a robot with a flying kick and considered herself impressed by the action.

She couldn't afford to fall behind. She didn't know how many people were going to pass from each area, or if they were being marked on anything other than combat ability. If she was caught ogling other students she knew it wouldn't be good for her score, so she stayed focus. Bringing down the energy around her palms she snagged a long metal bar from scattered debris and covered it in her energy. She used it like a spear, cutting through and spiking her enemies left and right.

More and more people arrived and it was an all out fight for points. She ducked and weaved through the crowd of people, using her small stature to weave in and out of the battle. Damn these kids were thirsty. No one had a sense of protocol and some even shoved or whined at having their targets taken away. Izumi felt like she was in preschool all over again, and all the kids were fighting for the best toys to play with.

She heard people calling out their numbers, as if saying the number aloud would impress others around them. She'd lost count herself, hadn't bother to keep track. If she had enough points good, if not then there was nothing she could do. She just had to take out as many villains as she could before the time ran out… and that was that.

She sent her makeshift spear flying through the head of a 3 pointer and smiled confidently. She was glad she had a quirk now. Had she been quirkless there was no amount of knowledge or mental prep that would have allowed her to get any points. To Izumi it was clear that UA was giving the advantage to those with combat worthy quirks. Somewhere inside under the intense concentration, Izumi was severely pissed off by that.

She thought UA of all the hero schools would be the more open and accepting school, but she came to find that wasn't the case. They didn't seem to have any value in intelligence or mental quirks. This kind of stage where you had to fight over points, fight to stand out, fight to take lead, was showing her more and more on just how selfish and glory worshipping the hero world really was.

That thought brought on a sharp stabbing pain in her gut and heart. She suddenly stopped moving, her eyes scanning around at the chaos around her. Her eyes went sad and her teeth grit. The more she watched, the more disgusted and infuriated she became. All of them, all of these students were just falling into society's trap. What the hell was she doing here?

Izumi felt the ground rumble under her feet and she went back on high alert. She saw a shadow loom over and her eyes widened a bit in surprise at the massive robot that towered over the buildings. The Zero Pointer: a distraction that was meant to go crazy in confined spaces and offer a great obstacle.

"Geez could they make it any bigger?" She winced as someone whipped by her, the crowd of people now running away. Present Mic had suggested they avoid it, and Izumi could understand that a tall intimidating robot would be frightening… but staring up at it now she couldn't see what the big deal was… perhaps it was just her training that made her feel no fear at all towards it.

_~Flashback~_

"_The bigger they are, the harder they fall." All for One told Izumi as she stood in the center of the training area, surrounded by a horde of Nomu bodies. "I'm going to have to build up my stock again." _

"_What happened to the first one?" Izumi glanced back at him, her eyes cool and emotionless. "I still haven't beat him." _

"_I have plans for that Nomu, and I can't risk you taking out your aggression on him. You've a powerful quirk, Izumi. It's the perfect weapon against a sandbag like him. You could easily rip him apart once you figure out how to isolate your energy and focus it on the right points." _

"_Sounds like the perfect practice." She smirked. "What kind of plans did you have in mind?" _

"_The kind you don't want to be involved in." He told her simply and had her shrugging. _

"_I dunno… You'd be surprised what I'd be willing to do now." she looked around at the cluttered bodies her smile spreading crazed. "I like feeling empowered."_

_**~End of Flashback~**_

"OW!"

Izumi snapped out of her daze at the sound of someone injured. Her eyes scan ahead of her and she spotted Ochaco. The girl was trapped under debris, her face blue and sickly. She tried to pull herself free, but izumi could see she was in pain and too queasy to use the floating quirk she'd caught her doing mid battle.

Izumi glanced back, saw the bulk of the group still running and her teeth clenched. Was no one going to help her? The ground rumbled again and Izumi saw the robot getting close. If the girl wasn't moved soon then she'd be crushed.

"_That's not really a sign of good luck to fall down right before the big exam am I right?"_

Karma… it wasn't just about delivering punishment to those that deserve it. Good deeds deserved to be rewarded. The girl's kindness and positivity didn't deserve to be ignored. Without a second's hesitation Izumi rushed forward. There was no way she'd be able to move her in time. Even if she could use her quirk to pull Ochaco free they'd get caught in the robot's path and more than likely get crushed. She had to stop it.

"Hold on!" Izumi screamed and rushed forward. Her voice carried to the others behind her and Iida halted his retreat to look back and stare wide eyed at what he saw.

Izumi held out he hands and focused her quirk on the rolling track of the robot. She halted its forward movement, but the size and weight of him had her struggling to keep him in place. She tried to shift the gears so it would go in reverse but she was at a stand still. She bowed her head looking down at Ochaco, face sweating and eyes fierce.

"Are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah…"

"Can you move?"

"My leg…" she shoved at the rock crushing over her. "I think I broke my leg."

"Damn it…" She couldn't do this alone, Izumi thought. She needed help! Her eyes shot back at the gawking crowd and she screamed at them, "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU STARING AT!?"

She saw the looks of surprise and attention focused on her.

"Can't you see she needs help!? You're all so busy trying to collect points did you forget what a hero's job really is!?" She groaned in pain and felt her energy depleting. "You're all a bunch of posers!"

She felt the tears wanting to spring from her eyes as her life and hardships rushed through her mind. She didn't care… she just didn't care anymore.

"Fuck the points! Fuck the test! It's not important!" Her hair floated up and her quirk increased the robot finally moving under her will and she opened her eyes, the pupils disappearing as she felt the surge inside her. "IIDA GET HER OUT OF HERE!"

"Right!" Iida rushed forward picking up Ochaco and racing back to safety.

"She's safe! Now stop the villain! Aim for its joints!"

"Leave it to me, Mon Ami!" A blonde boy called out and came up point his lazer up taking off the arms at the shoulder sockets.

"Now aim for the head!" A voice called from above, a man with several appendages focused the eyes on the body. "It's sensors and functions are focused there, it'll render it useless!"

"I won't be the only one saved!" Ochaco wheezed and felt her stomach turn as she focused her quirk. Using all the debris she was trapped under she raised it high above the struggling robot. "RELEASE!"

The rocks plummeted crushing the weak cranium of the zero bot and having it bow and break. Izumi quickly released her quirk and ran to get out of the way. The zero bot crumbled and she barely managed to jump out of the way and roll to safety.

She knelt by Ochaco the two of them panting, pale faced… and exchanging smiles.

"Nice job, hero." Izumi complimented with a smirk.

"You too…" she started to compliment but then held her mouth as she couldn't hold back anymore and vomited.

**~Staff Room~ **

All Might hadn't been able to remain seated. His eyes focused on the girl who had bravely took charge and gathered followers to save another student. He raised a hand up touching the face of the one known as Izumi Midoriya and had to smile.

It was too soon to tell, but the girl showed amazing promise. He worried some when she suddenly stopped moving mid battle to take stock of the people around her. He wondered what had gone through her head, what thoughts put that look of hurt and shame in her eyes.

That changed the moment the Zero Bot had been put into play. She looked fearless standing before the goliath… but that had changed when she saw the other student trapped and injured by the falling debris. The fact she hadn't hesitated to help someone was both a sign of good judgement, and boldness in the face of danger.

"I'm not sure what you've gone through Young Midoriya… but your selflessness and courage have inspired me. You just might be the one."

**~Later~**

"I'm home!" Izumi called out and flipped the switch to turn the lights on in the penthouse. "I'm not sure if you're trying to save on electricity or you just like the ambience but you really need to stop using just candlelight."

"I wouldn't need light at all if I didn't have you and my staff underfoot." He commented and cut into his steak. "Wash your hands then have a seat, Izumi. Tell me how everything went."

"Good I guess…" she went to the kitchen sink and washed her hands free of dirt and grime. "Not sure how many points I scored, but I don't really think it matters." She walked to the table and sat down. His server set a plate of food in front of her and she eyed the fork and knife speculatively before picking it up and attempting to cut her meat.

"Why do you say that?" All for One asked slipping a piece of meat into his mouth and chewing thoroughly.

"Even if I do pass the exam… I don't think I want to go anymore." She played with her food a bit before taking a bite.

"Why? I thought it's what you've always wanted."

"Being a hero was what I wanted." She poked at the meat stirring it up in the potatoes and sighing. "Being in that environment though… watching all these potential heroes fight for points and attention… it all felt so childish and stupid."

"You're taking what I and Shigaraki said too much to heart, Izumi." All for one set his fork and knife down and folded his hands. "You're not supposed to follow the hero curb, you're supposed to be making it your own. The test is a formality to get your foot in the door. If UA accepts you then you need to figure out how to change their perspective and make them accept your terms."

"I don't think the teachers would enjoy that." She pouted and poked her steak lifting it up.

"If you don't want to go to UA then I won't stop you. I said before that I'll give you whatever you want. You're my daughter now and I want you to be happy."

"But…" Izumi's brow rose knowing there was a stipulation in there somewhere.

"But…" he placated her with a smile. "If you really want to help the world Izumi, then you need to help change it. You're the future generation, but unless you have power no one will listen to you. Power runs the world and right now heroes have all the power."

"What if heroes didn't have all the power." She pushed her plate away and folded her arms on the table leaning in. "Kurogiri said that heroes don't do their jobs as we're all meant to believe to and I agree. We can take power away from the heroes by exposing that fact."

"Hmmm…" delighted by the fact she came up with that suggestion herself he grinned. "You've a point. How should we do it?"

"All Might…" Izumi tapped her finger on the table as her brain went to work. "He's seen as this all powerful hero that can take on anything. If there was a way we could show off his weakness… prove to the world that he's vulnerable and unstable, they they would see the truth."

"All Might doesn't seem like a man who has a weakness."

"You've a point." She sighed heavily and leaned on her fist. "He wouldn't be the number one hero if it was that easy to expose his weakness."

"It's too bad he's so secretive about his abilities. Your theory and idea has merit Izumi, but without the right information we can't make such a bold move."

"You're right…" Izumi sighed and lowered her head to the table. "Just how are you supposed to get close to a man like that?"

_**~Two Weeks Later~**_

"I AM HERE AS A PROJECTION!"

"EH!?" Caught off guard, Izumi gawked at the metal disk that had come with her test results. The projection displayed All Might standing in a mustard yellow suit and trademark toothy grin. "What the hell is this!?"

"You might be wondering why I'm the one delivering your test results. The truth is very simple. I came to this town to work at U.A. I am now the newest member of their staff."

All Might is gonna be a teacher at U.A!? Was this for real!?

"Well I've apparently got a bunch of these to do so let me get right to the point. Miss Izumi Midoriya, with a total of 30 villain points you scored in the middle of the pack in terms of combat prowess. However! Thanks to your intellect, bravery, and leadership skills while handling the Zero Robot you've been awarded an additional 50 rescue points. You have passed and with flying colors at that! Congratulations! I look forward to seeing you at school!"

He saluted her before the projection went black. Izumi continue to stare in disbelief and held up the disc as her mind went over everything that had happened. She passed… not only that but she had passed in the top of the pack.

"Holy shit…" she couldn't keep the grin off her face. "HOLY SHIT! SENSEI!"

She ran out to the livinroom where not only All for One sat but Shigaraki and Kurogiri as well. She looked at them bright eyed and excited holding the disc out.

"I passed! Not only that but I got the top score! I beat Kacchan!"

"Congratulations, that's wonderful news!"

"It gets even better!" Her smile turned wicked. "All Might was the one who gave the test results. He's going to be a teacher at U.A"

"Seriously?" Shigaraki scratched at his neck. "That fool is gonna teach students?"

"Yes, but don't you get it Tomura?" She grabbed his face and kissed his hard. She didn't complain when he pulled her onto his lap and she sat like a queen atop him. "This is exactly what we need! If All Might is a teacher it's the perfect opportunity to get close to him. It's the perfect cover!"

"You clever little vixen." Shigaraki grabbed her chin and nipped her ear. "I love the way your mind works."

"You sure you want to do this, Izumi?" All for One feigned concern and gestured. "You're not a villain like us. Do you really feel right about acting as our spy?"

"You told me that in order to help the world, I have to help you change it." She pulled away from Tomura so she could stand and she gripped the disc tight in hand. "All Might is the symbol of peace. He's the face of heroes everywhere, and so long as he seems invincible people are going to continue to believe that the hero society is working when it's not!"

"So what are you saying, Izumi? What is it that you want from us?" All for One pressed, wanting to hear the words out of her mouth.

"I'm saying…" she clutched the disk over her heart, her eyes filled with a mix of emotions. There was fear there, but also determination. "I'm saying I'm in! I want to be involved in your plans!"

"Is that your final answer, my dear?"

"Yes… If it means I can help. If it means I'll be doing the right thing… then I don't care if the world sees me as a villain."

Everyone stood now, Shigaraki took her hand and waited for her to cover his with her quirk before lacing their fingers intimately. Kurogiri stepped up setting a hand on her shoulder, his eyes softening through the dark.

"Welcome then, Karma…" All for One held his arms open. "Welcome to the League of Villains."

_**~Ask Briry~**_

_**Briry: Hey guys! So in my previous fics I've taken questions from fans and I'd like to open that door for anyone who has them. They can either be for me or for the characters of the story, and shall be answered here in the Ask Briry section. Look forward to hearing from you! **_

_**Next Chapter: Bad Habits**_


	7. Bad Habits

**Midori the Villain**

**Chapter 7: Bad Habits**

Izumi felt her back hit the wall and let out a short gasping laugh. Her cool eyes lifted up to Bakugo who held her up against the brick wall behind the school.

"So forceful… I take it you're upset with me?"

"Upset is hardly the word I have for what I'm feeling!" Bakugo sneered cupping his hand and letting his quirk pop along the fingertips threateningly. "How did you do it? How did you surpass me? What sort of stupid tricks did you pull to make this happen?!"

"Tricks?" She raised a brow. "You think I cheated? Silly Kacchan, I took the same tests as you, and yet I came out on top. Perhaps I'm not the worthless quirkless damsel you once mistook me for." She leaned forward but he shoved her back, his hand now gripping her neck. The gesture reminded her a little too much of Shigaraki and her eyes flickered momentarily with arousal. You're not displaying very hero like behavior, Kacchan."

"You're going to call the school and tell them you're not going. I'm the only one from this shit school that was supposed to make it!"

"You're a clever boy, Kacchan." She flicked her gaze up to his face smirking. "I'm sure you can think of an even better origin story."

"You're pushing your luck Usagi…" He leaned in staring her dead in the eyes. "I half expected you to die in the entrance exam. Now tell me how you did it!"

Izumi felt empowered even while being held down. There was something in the way Bakugo was looking at her that made her believe she was fully in control of the situation. Deciding to test the grounds she shifted and arched so their laps brushed together. She saw a change in his eyes and he stepped closer to press into her again. Her smirk came fast.

"What are you gonna do to me if I don't tell you?" She whispered, his hold on her neck loosening and he gripped her waist instead.

"I'll make you regret it." He growled at her and his mouth clamped down hungrily, his body pushing fully up to her and letting his instincts take over. Izumi knew Shigaraki would give her hell later, would probably try to kill her, but she'd been waiting for this moment. She'd wanted Kacchan to see her as a woman, to see her as a threat rather than a victim.

"Kacchan…" she breathed heavily against his mouth and laughed a little when his hand lifted her skirt to touch the soft skin there. "Just how far you plan on taking this little ride?"

"Until you learn your place." He picked her up hooking her legs around his waist and slamming her back on the wall. She let out a sharp gasp when his hands lifted up her shirt and he buried hiis face into the swell of her breasts. "You've changed, Usagi. Not just your hair but your entire look, and personality have changed. It's driving me crazy!"

"Show me…" she licked her lips and arched into his mouth.

"Tell me how you passed and I will." He flicked those aggressive crimson eyes to her aroused face.

"Such a tease…" she bowed her head down so their foreheads pressed together. "I thought you were gonna show me my place. You do know how to have sex don't you, Kacchan?"

"Tch Of course I do don't tell me…" he drifted off and suddenly dropped her. Izumi nearly stumbled on her shoes and she smoothed down her clothes. "Wait a minute. Have you… are you a virgin?"

Izumi thought of the close call in her room, Shigaraki's possessive touch and hunger for her body were almlost too much for her to handle. Now that she'd had time and experience handling him, Izumi was she she could handle almost any man who looked her way… even Kacchan.

"Yes… though it's something I'd like the ellieviate in the near future." She ran fingers through her curly hair. "If you don't want to, Kacchan. I'm sure I'll find someone who'd be more than willing to take me on."

"Who are you?" Bakugo clenched his fists shaking with anger.

"Hmmm?" She looked at him innocently. "Izumi Midoriya."

"Liar… you're not my Usagi!" He pointed accusingly. "My Usagi would never be so blatant. She's not a slut like you!"

He tensed up when he saw the fight and anger in izumi's eyes. Something inside snapped and he suddenly felt very cold and had an urge to step away form the young woman in front of him.

"You're right, I'm not your Usagi.." She stepped towards him her intimidation levels off the charts. "I told you before that Usagi is dead. I'm not that simpering weak willed fan girl who follows you around and hangs on your every word." Izumi thought of how many years she'd spent idolizing him. She always thought he was amazing, so strong and brave and confident. In her mind he was the personification of victory and she'd been content to just stand beside him and watch him succeed.

The memory of that sickened her.

"I'm not your pet anymore, Kacchan. I'm not someone who needs your protection. My name is Izumi Midoriya, I'm not a damsel in distress and you-" She grabbed him by the front of his shirt and pulled him down to her eye level. "You are not my hero."

**~Penthouse~**

Maybe she'd gone too far, Izumi thought as she lay in bed staring up at the ceiling. She'd never seen Bakugo with such a pale and frightened look before. She knew it was bad because he hadn't said a word to her after. In fact he avoided her completely.

"Oh well…" She lay her arm over her eyes. "Had to get it through his thick skull somehow."

She could still taste him on her tongue, Izumi thought running that tongue over her lips. She felt her face go hot at the rememberance of their hot encounter and she squealed and rolled around on her bed.

"Oh my god how embarrassing! What the hell got into me!? I'm a slut! I'm such a slut! What the hell was I thinking coming onto Kacchan like that!? Shigaraki is gonna kill me! KYA!"

Her cell phone rang and she shot upright and made a grab for her phone. She stammered and juggled it a few times before managing to click the call button.

"Y-Yes!?"

"Karma…" shigaraki's voice spoke from the other end and had her sweating bullets. "Did you send in your packet for UA?"

"Huh? Oh… yes…" she tugged on the buttons of her shirt and fanned herself. "I sent it off this morning. I had some trouble trying to come up with some costume ideas, but Sensei-"

"Shut it, I don't need the details." He grunted at her. "Come down to the bar, I have something for you."

"Now?" She rubbed the back of her neck. "I have finals next week and I need to study."

"I don't care, come now or I'm going to you. You have an hour." He hung up and made her sigh heavily. The guy really hated taking no for an answer. She tossed her phone on her bed and unbuttoned her blouse and shimmied off her skirt so she could change. She thought about showering but thought that would take too much time.

She paused in front of her mirror and stare at the girl on the opposite side. Kacchan was right, she had changed both inside and out. Several months ago she would have never pushed herself up on him like that. She would have been to scared to even get close to him let alone hint at sexual advances.

What was it about this sexual pull that was making her feel so confident?

Maybe… just maybe it was because somewhere inside her she knew Kacchan had wanted her. Shigaraki wanted her. She'd watched both boys who were strong in their own right practically go to puddles at just a few looks and touches from her. The sight of it, the knowing that she could do this to such powerful and dangerous people… had made her feel strong.

Was she considered a slut now because of this? Yeah, there was no getting around it. Still that term didn't bother her as much as she thought it would. She liked the attention, liked the way Bakugo's guard immediately let down the moment she touched him, kissed him, or even looked at him a certain way. She'd seen so many female heroes use their sexuality to their advantage and why couldn't she do the same?

She changed into a tight red dress that made her feel grown up and feminine, and paired it with heels. Knowing she would be walking alone after dark she strapped on one of the knives Shigaraki had given her for protection over her thigh and pulled it down. She then made her way out and toward the bar.

She saw the looks others gave her, men in particular. Their lewd faces and gestures making her laugh inwardly. Someone copped a feel on the train and she responded by using her quirk to choke him with his tie til he collapsed to the ground… alive but unconscious. Now that she considered herself a villain her morals shifted some. She didn't believe in instigating violence… but if it was to protect herself and others she didn't mind bending the rules.

She cursed as she nearly stumbled on the steps in her heels. What sort of monster designed these stupid shoes? Her toes cramped, her ankles were sore, and she knew she was gonna get a blister from the walk. As she entered the bar she immediately took them off and sent them flying.

"Remind me never to wear those barbaric shoes again. My feet are killing me. Now what the hell-MMMMPH!" She barely got the words out before Shigaraki had her in his arms and was kissing her lavishly. Kurogiri did his best to ignore them behind the bar and wiped glasses to keep himself distracted.

"Took you long enough to get here."

"I blame the shoes." She scowled at him. "If you dragged me all the way down here for a kiss I'm going to have to murder you."

"You don't kill." he teased and licked the side of her face making her shudder. "You don't have the stomach for it."

"You'd be surprised what I'm capable of. I'm finding I can do a lot more that I couldn't before." She shoved him off then took a seat at the bar. "So why am I here?"

"Your initiation…" Shigaraki told her and pat the bar to snap Kurogiri back into the conversation. "Pour her some wine."

"Tomura I'm only fifteen, I can't drink." She frowned at him even as Kurogiri poured a glass of white in front of her.

"You don't look fifteen in that dress." He pointed out. "Besides didn't you just say you can do a lot more that you couldn't before. Just consider this another step towards adulthood." he put the glass in her hand. "Now drink."

"I'm not having sex with you afterward." She told him upfront. "You try to rape me and I'll tell Sensei."

"I'm not going to fucking rape you, now drink the damn wine before i pour it over your head you stupid brat."

She stuck her tongue in her cheek and she picked up the wine swirling it before sipping at it. The initial sweetness was pleasant, but she made a face of the burning sensation it left in her throat.

"What's all this about?" She set the glass down staring at the golden liquid inside. "Why do you want me to drink wine I'm not supposed to have."

"How does it feel?"

"How does what feel?" She shoved the glass away and shifted her eyes to him.

"Doing something you aren't supposed to." He turned to her fully. "Did you like it."

"Yeah a little." She shrugged.

"Do you want some more?" he slid the glass back in front of her. She looked at it hesitantly a moment then indulged him by taking another sip and had to smile.

"I take it there's a lesson mixed in here somewhere?"

"With the master there's always a lesson." Shigaraki told her. "He gave this one to me when I was ten. He told me Villainy is like your first glass of wine. You savor it, enjoy the flavor and then decide whether or not you want to indulge in more."

"That sounds like something he'd say…" Izumi laughed. "Frankly it's a little weird coming out of your mouth." Izumi smirked at him. "You seem like the type that just dives in head first without thinking."

"He downed the entire glass in one shot." Kurogiri commented and had Shigaraki glaring at him. "Sorry."

"I do what I want, I've always had." He looked at her. "Not you though. You're careful, cautious, and do what needs to be done instead of what you want done."

"Your point?" She leaned into him their fingers brushing over her wine glass.

"I told you to be mine and you agreed… but it doesn't feel like you're mine. As much as I want to claim you, mark you, force you to my will..." He held out his hand to grab her neck and almost instantly he watched her cover his hand in her quirk, letting him take a full grip. "You won't let me."

"You're right, I won't." She gripped a fist full of shis hirt bringing him in closer. "I don't "belong" to anyone. When I told you I'd be yours it didn't mean I'd let you claim me. I'm not a piece of property or some pet to be harbored. That's not who I am, that's not who I want to be."

"I could kill you and mount you on my wall." He let go of her neck and pulled her in by the small of her back. "Then I could look at your face for hours at a time… and know I was the last person you ever lay eyes on."

"You're such a jealous man, Tomura." With reason, Izumi admitted and buried her face in his chest. "What do you want from me?"

"I don't WANT anything from you..." He eyed Kurogiri and motioned him to leave them alone. He quickly stepped out and to the back to give them privacy. "I need you, Karma."

There it was… Izumi thought with a soft sigh. There was the reason she'd changed. She was wanted, hungered… she was needed. It was the first time someone had ever needed her and that made her feel so incredible that she couldn't even begin to describe it.

"I'm here, Tomura…" She lifted her face up and stare into his eyes. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Swear it?" He fingered her hair and pressed their foreheads together. "Swear you'll never leave me."

"I swear it…" She kissed him soft on the lips, only to have him deepen it. His lips possessed hers in a way that Kacchan's hadn't. This man needed her… and it made all the difference in the world. "I don't belong to you, but my heart is yours."

**~First Day of High School~**

Love was a funny thing, Izumi thought as she walked up to the UA gates. For years she'd believed she'd been in love with Kacchan but that hadn't been the case. Her blind admiration for her one and only friend had been nothing but a hunger and need for acceptance. With Shigaraki it was different… from the beginning she'd felt a kinship with him. He knew what it was like to be disregarded, looked down on, told that you didn't belong.

He'd carried the burden of his father's death for years letting it remind him of how dangerous he was, how unfit for society he was, and it drove him half mad. She was sure it was because of Kurogiri and Sensei that Shigaraki hadn't been put into a mental institution and was kept somewhat sane over the course of time.

She loved him, not because she needed him, but because he needed her. He made her feel important and special… and to him she was. She was the future, she was the solution to a corrupted society. She had to change things in order for people like them to be accepted and understood.

Her first goal was to befriend All Might… make him trust her, and use that to find any secrets or weaknesses he may be hiding.

...easier said than done.

The moment she walked into her classroom she got a look at the kind of surroundings she'd be working in and had to sigh heavily. Bakugo was being his usual "charming" self, picking a fight with iida who scolded him for his misuse of school property.

"Oh!" Iida took notice of Izumi and his smile went wide. "Miss Midoriya!"

All heads in the classroom turned to her. Izumi felt embarrassment and nerves tingle inside but she hid them with a warm smile.

"Hello again, Iida-kun. Congratulations on passing."

"All thanks to you." He stepped to her and motioned with his hands in a way that made Izumi think of a robot. "Your performance at the exam was inspirational."

"Performance?" This from Bakugo who stood up. Izumi felt her blood run cold and inwardly thought "shit" and tried to avoid his eyes by looking at her nails. "You saw her?"

"Yes," Iida turned back to Bakugo. "You could learn from this young lady. She rallied a whole group of us together to protect a student who had gotten injured by the Zero Robot. Her speech and motives were enlightening!" Iida said boldly and adjusted his glasses.

"Is that so?" Bakugo leaned into Izumi. "So that's how you did it! I knew you couldn't do it alone."

"You caught me." Izumi said with a twitch. Please don't say anymore, she inwardly begged. She didn't know if she could take anymore embarrassment.

"Cheri!" Aoyama jumped up to take her hand. "Thanks to you I was able to shine even brighter. You've my gratitude." He kissed her hand. "As well as my devotion."

"Not necessary…" she pulled her hand free and jumped as another voice called out from behind her.

"AH CURLY HEAD!"

"Kya!" Aoyama's desk skirted closer to her and she went pale face. She had to calm herself down or she'd lose control of her quirk. She felt Uraraka hug her from behind.

"I just knew you'd make it! You were amazing!"

In the back of the classroom Todoroki Shoto eyed the girl known as Midoriya speculatively. Class hadn't even started and yet she was receiving praise from her new classmates.

"What a hottie!" Mineta who sat kitty corner from him wiped at his mouth. "Her bust size has to be at least a D-cup. Look at those dark edgy looks. She's totally a young Midnight!"

"Such vulgar behavior." Yaoyorozu scolded and folded her hands on her desk. She too eyed Midoriya with the same curiosity as Todoroki… but with an added layer of envy on top. She wanted that kind of friendliness and acceptance for herself… and hoped she could find it here in U.A.

"If you want to play with friends then I suggest you go somewhere else." Shota Aizawa, the homeroom teacher suddenly appeared in a sleeping bag. He broke up the cheerful bunch and scooted the group back so to greet the rest of his class. "It's sudden but take these uniforms and change in the locker room. I'll meet you all on the field to discuss your class itinerary."

After changing the students gathered on the field as told… after fifteen minutes Aizawa looked around and scowled.

"Where's Midoriya?"

"Sensei…" Izumi came out wearing the uniform pants and a black tank top. She handed him back the uniform. "The shirt is too small, is this alright for now?"

"It'll do. Be sure to go to the administration office after school to get your size chart altered." He took the shirt and put a ball in her hand. "You had the highest score in the exam am I right?"

"Yes sir…" She looked at the ball, back at her classmates, and then up at Aizawa. Just what had she missed?

"Today we're doing a quirk assessment test. What was your farthest throw in junior high?"

"Ah eh…" she sweat and poked her pointer fingers together nervously. "I don't remember."

"Twenty Five meters!" Bakugo called out with a smirk and had her face turning red. She gripped the ball and glared at him.

"Kacchan…."

"Ignore him… step into the circle and throw the ball using your quirk."

"Eh?" She glanced back at him. "Wait what?"

"All japanese schools give the same physical assessment tests without allowing the use of quirks. This is unrealistic in today's society and gives us incorrect information to study you with. Use your quirk, and let's see how big the difference is."

Izumi stepped into the circle obediently and looked at the ball. She hadn't wanted to let Kacchan know about her quirk just yet. She wanted to keep it to herself as long as possible to keep Kacchan and the other students from analyzing and finding the weaknesses in her quirk from the get go. She tossed the ball up and down in her palm sighing heavily.

"Oh well… he was bound to find out sooner or later." She grabbed the ball in a pitcher's grip and her face suddenly went from submissive and shy to bold and confident. Her eyes opened, sharped on the distance ahead and she surrounded the ball with her energy. "Might as well give him a show!"

Bakugo, who had stood smug on the sidelines waiting for her to be humiliated, suddenly went white. He saw the change in her demeanor, felt something in the air that made his hairs stand on end.

"BATTER UP!" She shouted and launched the ball from her hand, a spark of black power radiated around the ball and sent it soaring skyward and out into the distance. She hadn't tested just how far her quirk range was so she kept her focus, kept it high and pushed it as far as she could. When the ball finally dropped she looked back at Aizawa with a happy cheerful smile. "How was that?"

"As expected…" Aizawa showed the display to the rest of the kids. "The only way to properly find your foundation as a hero, is to first know your own maximum."

"610 meters?!"

"Sooo roughly 2000 feet?" Izumi sighed heavily. "Not as far as I was hoping, but pretty good considering it's my first time testing it out like that."

"Baka Usagi…" Bakago growled low in his throat his hands popping with explosions as he raced ahead. "You little bitch!"

Izumi threw out her hands, her energy surrounding Bakugo and lifting him up the ground and halting his movement.

"I told you not to call me that! Do you want me to throw you too kacchan?"

"Put me down! Since when the fuck do you have a quirk!?" He struggled a bit and his explosion erupted breaking apart the energy. Izumi's eyes widened when he broke apart the barrier so easily and she wrapped her own hands in it prepared to fight him off.

"Both of you settle down!" Aizawa wrapped his bindings around bakugo to halt his assault, his eyes red as he erased both quirks.

"Quirk erasing…" Izumi turned as she got a good look at him for the first time. "You're Eraser Head? I thought you only work at night?"

"My working hours are not of your concern." He waited for Bakugo to calm down before undoing the bindings. "Now if this little piece of Drama is over line back up and get ready to take the rest of the tests.

"Tch…" Bakugo sneered and stood toe to toe with izumi. Her back went up and she clenched her fists ready to take him on. "We'll talk later. Right now I'm gonna take out my anger by beating you in these tests!"

"Good luck with that…" She smiled confidently. "I won't lose easily."

_**~Ask Briry~**_

_**Briry: Izumi Vs. Bakugo round 1 DING! Speaking of which…**_

_**Next Chapter: Rivals Face Off**_


	8. Rivals Face Off

**Midori the Villain**

**Chapter 8: Rivals Face Off**

All Might peered around the corner of the building to watch the varying tests unfold. His curiosity for the new recruits and his future class had him sneaking out here to get a first look at their abilities. He held a mini notepad and jotted down the name of several students that stood out to him.

The one that really piqued his interest was Izumi Midoriya. Her performance during the entrance exam had caught his attention, and her abilities were proving efficient as well. Watching her go through test by test she put her maximum effort into everything she did. She was no slacker and he approved of that.

He worried a little when he noticed there was animosity between her and another student. Katsuki Bakugo was impressive in his own right. He had a raging temper, but incredible control of a quirk that could have been as wild as his personality. He was strong, incredibly strong, and his pinpoint control was proof that he was a lot smarter than his personality led others to believe.

Izumi seemed to know him well, and the rivalry between the two seemed to push their abilities higher and higher. With the right training, the right guidance, the two could push themselves to the very top.

On the field Izumi did a running start, her hands and feet covered in her quirk. She jumped for the long distance, and used the energy to pull herself up and over, surpassing Bakugo's mark and landing at the top of the pack. She tossed her hair over her shoulder and let out a calming breath. She could have covered her entire body and gotten an even better score, but the heavier something was, the more energy she had to use, and the more difficult it became to control. With five tests left she needed to be smart on how she handled her power.

So far she was in the top pack, but her quirk could only increase her abilities so much. They wouldn't be much good to her in the sit ups and toe touches, and the long distance run would prove difficult as far as endurance was concerned. She had a quirk, she had determination, and she was more athletic than she'd been before... but 10 months of hellish training didn't alleviate a lack of raw talent or the 10+ years of training the other students had.

Watching the students Momo Yaoyorozu and Shoto Todoroki made that painfully clear to her. She watched Momo clear her distance by at least an extra foot, and it made her insides twist with envy. When Momo head back in their direction she offered a friendly smile.

"Nice job, Yaoyorozu-san."

"Thank you, Midoriya-san." Yao returned the smile politely.

"Your quirk is quite impressive," Izumi sat a hand on her hip, her fingers twitching and itching for a pencil and notebook to jot her abilities down. "The ability to create almost anything is an all around impressive quirk. It's no wonder you got in on recommendations."

"Thank you, it's quite difficult to control and I spent a great deal of time as a child learning about the world and expanding my mind so I could make the greatest use of it."

"Well it's certainly paying off. I look forward to seeing what else you can do." She turned her focus to Todoroki who leap and frosted the air to glide across it and clear the entire field. "Speaking of greatest use… Todoroki is all kinds of impressive."

"He is at that." Yao turned so both ladies could admire him. "We both got in on recommendations, but I have to say he's probably miles ahead of me in terms of combat ability."

"Don't sell yourself short." Izumi pat her shoulder and whispered to her. "Even a man like that can be defeated in combat. You just gotta know where to hit him."

"Eh?" Yaoyorozu looked curiously at Izumi. "What do you mean?"

"If I've gotta explain that to you Momo…" she pat her cheek teasingly. "You've got no sense of humor." She walked away, her small form surprisingly intimidating in Yaoyorozu's eyes.

Todoroki had taken notice of the exchange between Yao and Midoriya, and his gaze also followed the confident stride of the small brunette. Something about that girl had caught his attention but he wasn't entirely sure what it was. There were several girls in their class, all with unique and interesting styles, quirks, personalities. Somehow Izumi stood out amongst them all, and did something to have his chest tightening and face flushing whenever she looked in his direction.

It unnerved him.

"Don't get cocky just because you beat me in that event Usagi!" Bakugo pointed a finger at her accusingly. "I still have you beat in the short distance and strength test."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah just shut up and hold my ankles." she told him as she got in position for sit ups. When the whistle blew Izumi started her sit up, focusing a bit of energy on her stomach muscles so to ease the cramp and burn.

As he watched her go through the sit up Bakugo's brow twitched irritably and he bowed his head down.

"Why the fuck didn't you tell me?"

"I was told not to." She admitted, knowingly exactly what he meant. "All I can tell you is I never lied to you Kacchan. I was quirkless up until recently."

"I take it this has something to do with that Sensei you're staying with?" he increase the grip on her ankles. When she said nothing a knot formed at his brow. "Damn it you can't even tell me that much? OW!" he flinched back when Izumi sat up fast and smacked her forehead against his. She too winced but kept up the glare.

"What part of "I'm not supposed to talk about it" do you not understand, Baka!? If you're not gonna pat attention to the task at hand then move over so Ochaco can do it!"

"Tch, stupid rabbit," he ducked the next head butt and took a tight grip on her ankles. "Nice try!"

"Keep it up, Kacchan, just keep testing me and I'll show you what happens when I lose my temper."

"Hah… I'm not afraid of you so bring it on!"

"Oh you will be." She sat up and smirked at him, her eyes sharpening on his face. "You will be."

**~Test Results~**

"Damn it…" Izumi thought with gritted teeth. She'd been deducted points during the sit ups for having paused so many times, and she'd lost a lot of energy during the long distance run which hurt her standings. She landed in fifth place behind Yaoyorozu, Todoroki, Bakugo, and Iida.

"Ha!" Bakugo flicked her forehead. "So much for being top of the class. Not so high and mighty now are yah, Usagi?"

Izumi glared at him as she rubbed the spot on her forehead.

"It's only the first day. We've three years together, Kacchan. So buckle up." She crossed her arms pouting and turning her back to him. Her brows rose when she caught sight of All Might watching from the sidelines and taking notes. "What's he doing here?" She murmured and snuck away from the class to investigate.

"All Might?" She poked her head around suddenly making him jump and hide his notebook.

"Whoa! Ah, young Midoriya, you gave me a fright." He pocketed the notebook and laughed. "I was just checking up on my future class."

"You know my name already?" Izumi wasn't sure whether that pleased her, or made her nervous.

"Of course…" he pat the top of her head. "You came on top in the entrance exam, many of the staff have taken notice of you."

"Oh I see…" she scratched her cheek wishing she could do something about the inner joy bubbling inside her. As she thought, so many years of fandom couldn't just disappear overnight. She knew she needed to collect information on All Might, knew that in order to change the world he would need to step down from hero's society… but she couldn't bring herself to hate the man. "I thought perhaps you remembered me from before."

"Hmmm? Before?"

"Yes… seveal months ago you saved me from the sludge monster. Do you remember?" She lifted her eyes to his. She watched his face go puzzled a moment and he leaned in taking a good long look then made a sound of recognition.

"Oh! The fan girl! That was you!? You've changed so much since I saw you last." He laughed and ruffled her curls making her grunt a little. "Done some growing up I see."

"You could say that…" she grumbled and pulled out her hair tie to play with it. "There was something I wanted to ask you that day… but you took off so suddenly I never got the chance to."

"Well I'm here now." He put his hands on his hips. "Fire away, young Midoriya."

"I have a friend… she's dreamed of being a hero since she was a little girl. Like me she would study heroes, learn all she could about them… but she was born quirkless."

"Quirkless?" His face showed surprise.

"Yeah… do you think it would have been possible for her to become a hero, despite the fact she's quirkless?" she looked up hopefully. She saw some confliction spread over his face, and despite the smile she knew the instant when he went sober and serious.

"It would be irresponsible of me to say yes to something like that."

Izumi felt a sharp pain in her chest and she clenched her fists at her side.

"Why?"

"There are dangerous people out in the world, Young Midoriya. Dangerous people, with dangerous quirks, all with intent to harm and kill. In order to face such monsters you need power to match against them. No matter how good her intentions are, I'm afraid it would have been impossible for your friend to become a hero."

She knew that… of course she knew that… but still to hear it from All Might of all people was more than her heart was able to bear. The tears slipped down her face and she gave a short pithy laugh.

"Thanks for your honesty. You're busy, I'm sorry to bother you all Might. I should go join my class." She turned away from him wiping at her tears.

"I'm sorry, Young Midoriya. Why don't you introduce me to your friend? I can do my best to explain to her what I mean."

"It doesn't matter now," she turned her head back, her eyes cool and emotionless. "She's dead."

_**~After School~**_

Aizawa had passed out papers showing their class itinerary, and schedules for the year. The papers also included a list of the supplies, and books they would need for each class. Except for the Hero basic Training course which would take up the second half of their school day, all of the classes were general studies that ranged from math, language, history and science.

The information was all a buzz in Izumi's ears. She couldn't get all Might's words out of her head and it brought down her mood several degrees. Whatever hesitation she had initially felt with the plan immediately subsided when he flat out told her she couldn't become a hero.

Which was unfair as he didn't realize she'd been speaking about herself… or her former self.

It shouldn't bother her that no matter how hard she would have tried as a quirkless, her dream would have never come true. She would have taken the test, and had she survived would have failed miserably and lost what little hope she had left for herself.

Her stomach cramped and she crouched down hugging herself. Don't cry, damn it, you've done enough crying for one day, Izumi, now suck it up!

"Miss Midoriya!" Iida jogged up behind her and crouched down rubbing her back. "Are you alright? Are you ill?"

"Iida?" She lifted her pale and pathetic face and offered a weak smile. "Mmmm, my stomach just hurts is all."

"Perhaps we should take you to see Recovery Girl." He helped her up.

"No… I'm okay." She brushed his hands off her shoulders and tried her best to relax and appear friendly. "I just wanna go home and take a nap. It's been a stressful first day."

"I agree… but at least let me escort you to the train station." He bowed a little and her brow rose at the gesture.

"I've been meaning to ask you, Iida, but do you come from a wealthy family?"

"Eh? How did you know?"

"Your mannerisms… you're really proper and your speech is impeccable. Yaoyorozu gives off a similar vibe. Plus i heard you tell Kacchan that you come from the Somei Academy which is an Elite school."

"Impressive deductions as always, Miss Midoriya." Iida adjusted his glasses. "As a matter of fact I'm-"

"Oi! Wait for me you two!" Uraraka rushed up all smiles and cheer.

"Infinity girl!" Iida and Izumi both turned to face her and they formed a small circle.

"I'm Ochaco Uraraka." She introduced. "You're Tenya Iida, and…" she trailed off as her eyes went to Izumi. "Usagi Midoriya, right?"

Several knots of annoyance popped on izumi's face and her quirk raged around her making her hair float. Iida and Ochaco backed up in surprise at the show of temper.

"Damn that Kacchan!" She raised a fist suddenly wishing she could punch him. "I keep telling that idiot not to call me that."

"I take it that's not your name then?" Ochaco laughed nervously and relaxed when izumi's aura calmed.

"Izumi… My name is Izumi Midoriya." She rubbed her sore stomach sighing heavily. "I grew up with Bakagou, and he's called me Usagi ever since pre-school because I used to be real shy and timid."

"Is that supposed to be a nickname, or an insult." Iida wonder aloud.

"My money is on nickname. I think it's cute."

"Is it?" Izumi's brow twitched irritably. "I don't think it's cute at all. Personally I find it insulting. Who the hell wants to be called weak and timid?"

"Oh, I never thought of it like that." Ochaco realized. "Well why don't I call you Midori-chan, instead? That's cute right?"

Izumi's shoulders tensed up. Midori was the other nickname Bakugo had called her before he'd switched to Usagi. She looked back at Uraraka, saw the harmless and friendly smile paired with hopeful eyes. Her body relaxed.

"I'd like that."

"Great!" Ochaco beamed. "You can call me Ochaco if you want."

"Ah first names may be stretching it. Why don't I just call you Ura-chan?" Izumi offered, not wanting to get too intimate with her classmates.

"That's cute too!" Ochaco beamed and latched onto her arm giggling. "It's nice to meet you, Midori-chan! We're gonna be the best of friends, I can tell!"

"Yeah, great…" lovely, Izumi thought with a sigh. She hadn't expected to make friends with any of her classmates. It surprised her on how much she genuinely liked iida and Ochaco. Now that she'd formed a bond with them, things just got a lot more complicated.

The moment she got home she was relieved to see that the flat was empty. She dumped her belongings into her room and changed into normal clothes. She decided she wanted to cook herself. She wasn't all that good at it, but she could use the practice. Besides she'd only end up poisoning herself if it turned out horribly.

"I should have taken your cooking lessons more seriously." She knelt in front of her mother's shrine and sat to pray. She wished her mother was with her now so she could share the stories of her day with her. "I hope you're resting well, mom."

Kurogiri's fog spread open and she looked up to see All for One being pushed in by the doctor.

"Welcome home, Sensei." She greeted and stood up.

"I'm home…" he greeted in return and motioned her over. Whens he got close he took her hands smiling. "How was it?"

"Okay I guess… We did a quirk assessment test rather than the opening ceremony and such." She told him. She pulled her hands back when the Doctor parked the wheelchair at the table and she moved into the kitchen but kept talking as she did so. "I came in fifth."

"Fifth?" All for One questioned with only the mildest hint of annoyance. Still it was enough to have Izumi wince.

"Mmmm I only saw brief glimpses of my classmates powers but I can tell there's many talented students in the lineup. Kacchan aside there are two who got in through recommendations and their overall athleticism is impressive. The other person who came in ahead of me is someone named Tenya Iida. He's got a speed quirk…" she turned on the stove and started cleaning vegetables. "My notepad is in my school book. I wrote everything I could down before leaving so I'll show it to you."

"I'll take a look at it later. If you're in fifth then you've some catching up to do. I had high hopes as you came in first in the Entrance Exam… but considering two of these students are from recommendations I can't fault you for being unprepared."

Somehow, Izumi thought with a frown, she felt as if she was getting a lecture. She took out meat from the fridge and All For One frowned a bit.

"What are you doing, Izumi?"

"Hmmm? I was going to cook dinner." She told him.

"There's no need for that. Come sit and play a game with me." The doctor set the chess game on the table before taking his leave and Izumi sat down scooting her chair closer to eye the board. "I don't want you wasting your energies on meaningless tasks like that. You need to focus your attention to strengthening your mind and your quirk."

"Yes Sensei," she moved her first piece and sighed heavily. "I met with All Might today."

"Did you?" He couldn't stop the sly smile from spreading. "Talk about anything interesting?"

"Apparently he and several of the other teachers have their eyes on me." She let her eyes scan the board, already formulating a plan. "I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing… I'll have to play it close to the chest."

"It's a good thing that All Might has taken an interest in you. The more he takes an interest, the more he will talk and converse with you."

"Maybe… but if I slip up, if I show any sign of my intentions he may back off completely. I can't afford to get expelled either." She moved her bishop piece into position.

"You're worrying too much too soon." All for One said calmly. "If you tense up too much then you're bound to attract unwanted attention. Act natural, let yourself be the excitable fangirl… boost his ego a little."

"I'm not that girl anymore." She narrowed her eyes and slapped down her rook to take his knight. "He made sure of that."

"What do you mean?"

"I asked him if someone quirkless could become a hero…" she clenched her fist over the pawn she'd just claimed. "I knew he would say no… but the harsh reality of it…" Her breath quickened and it felt painful to take in air. "It's so frustrating."

"You're not quirkless anymore, izumi. You're not that weak person who had no hero potential at all. You've changed, for the better."

"Thanks to you… I'd always believed heroes were a source of hope. I looked up to All Might because he faced all adversities with a smile. I wanted to be just like that." She still did, she admitted to herself. "I wanted to be able to give hope to the people around me. I wanted the strength to face against the evil of the world. I wanted to be fearless."

"It's all a facade, Izumi." All for One told her. "Even the bravest of men have fear. That smile that All Might shows the world is nothing but another lie, a trick to fool others into believing his invincibility."

"You think so?" She lifted her eyes from the board to stare into the serious face of her teacher and guardian.

"I know so… and it's your job to find out how we can wipe that smile off his face." He placed his queen by her king. "Checkmate."

**~The Following Day: Hero Basic Training~**

"I am…" All Might's voice called out and he came through the door in a burst of speed and panache. All the students went at attention and beamed at the #1 hero. "Coming through the door like a normal person!"

"All Might!"

"Wow he really is our teacher!"

"Isn't that the Silver Age costume he's wearing?"

All Might took his spot in front of the class, giving a brief introduction of himself and the course. His eyes scanned the room and locked onto Izumi who stare at him intensely. He was happy to see that the drained sorrowful look he'd left her with yesterday had gone.

"Let's get right into it then… the activity we're going to be doing today is…BATTLE TRAINING!" He felt the surge of excitement spread through the classroom and he flipped out a remote. "In addition, you'll be performing your training in these!" He pushed the big red button and a panel opened on the wall revealing numbered cases. "Hero Costumes!"

Hero Costumes…

Izumi had debated on what she'd wanted, and had decided to send in the training gear her Sensei had provided with the notes for additional modifications she wanted. She was happy when she opened the case and opened it to find they'd followed her descriptions, but had also added a few extra design choices themselves.

They kept it a two piece, but had lengthened the shirt so it tucked neatly into the pants and provided a smooth line all the way down. The black suit hugged her from chest to calf showing off her curves, and had a belt slung across her hips for essential items. She put in a small notepad and pencils into the pouch and grinned when she saw they'd added the straps Shigaraki had given her. Instead of knives there were small diskettes and non lethal projectiles that would be easy for her to control.

"Whoa! Midori-chan you look so cool!" Ochaco said holding her cheeks in complete awe and admiration. "You look just like an action movie star!"

"Thanks Ura-chan…" Izumi offered her a smile as she strapped her projectiles to her thigh, calf and arm. She took out a brush from her bag and ran it through her hair while admiring Ochaco's costume. "You look great too."

"You think? I wasn't really going for the skin tight look, it's kind of embarrassing." She laughed with some embarrassment.

"You should have more confidence in yourself." She braided the curly hair and flipped it over her shoulder. "You look cute."

"Thanks. Hehehe…" she walked next to Izumi, playing with her fingers. "I'm really nervous. I've never done combat before the entrance exam."

"I doubt many of us have." Izumi deduced and stretched her arms up over her head. "Should be interesting."

Bakugo adjusted his gauntlets a little looking back as Izumi and Ochaco came up behind. He felt a stirring in his gut at the sight of that tight black suit and had a vivid flashback of that petite body pressed against his.

It pissed him off.

"As I thought, the hero course is the best." Mineta drooled eying Izumi and Ochaco's tight bodysuits. He hoped he'd get a chance to fight one of them, just for the chance to accidentally brush up on those lovely bodies. He felt a hand smack over the top of his head and he winced and cursed. "Ow! What the hell was that-" he trailed off seeing Bakugo leering over him with a sneer.

"Tear your eyes away, shorty, or I'll kill you."

"Y-Y-Yes sir!" He saluted while sweating bullets.

The students lined up in front of All Might. After a brief explanation of the rules of the exercise it was determined they would draw lots in order to pick teams. Ochaco let out a shout of excitement from the two of them being paired together.

"Alright! It must be fate! I'm counting on you."

"Likewise, Ura-chan." Izumi gave her a soft friendly smile unable to resist her happy personality. That smile went wide when she saw they were going up against Bakugo and Iida in the first round. Nerves, excitement, and adrenaline pumped through her. Finally she'd be able to face Kacchan head on, no gimmicks, no tests. It was her team vs. his, and the best part was she was playing the hero while he was the villain. It was too perfect. "Now that's what I call Karma."

_**~Ask Briry~**_

_**Briry: Oh I'm getting excited! *rubs hands together* I've been looking forward to the next chapter. I can't wait to show you all what I have in store. **_

_**Next Chapter: Villain vs. Villain**_


	9. Villain vs Villain

Midori the Villain

Chapter 9: Villain vs. Villain

Izumi scanned the blueprints thoroughly. Each team was given fifteen minutes to formulate a plan and prepare for the infiltration. From a logical standpoint she and Uraraka were meant to be at a disadvantage. However, Izumi didn't quite see it that way.

"I think we can eliminate these three floors in terms of where the weapon is being stored." Izumi told Uraraka tapping the levels on each.

"Hmm? Why?"

"It's not smart to keep the weapon on the first floor. The door is open which means a pedestrian could just wander in and find it by accident and it would cause unwanted attention if they'd have to dispose of someone like that. The second floor window has been left open, an obvious place for us to infiltrate without immediately being detected so it doesn't make sense for it to be there. As for the third floor the layout is too cluttered, all these small rooms and tight corners don't give much room for escape or combat."

"Oh I see…" Ochaco leaned over her shoulder hanging on Izumi's every word.

"If I had to bet money, i'd say it's on the very top floor. The fourth and fifth floors both have wide open floor plans, but the fifth has immediate access to the roof allowing for an escape route. Also…" Izumi thought of the Penthouse suite on the very top floor. She recalled her sensei looking out at the city as if he stood above it all. "Villains like being on top."

"That does make sense… so what's our plan?"

"The best plan for Kacchan and Iida is to have Kacchan guard the weapon while Iida scouts out to find us. Iida is faster and has more mobility. In terms of quirk use it'll be difficult for me to use mine against him as I have to lock onto a target before I can surround it in my energy." She held out her hand flexing it. "However, considering their personalities… I think they're gonna do the exact opposite."

"Huh? Why do you say that?"

"Kacchan is smart, but he hates staying in one place for a long period of time. He's impatient, and prefers handling things himself instead of leaving it to others. Plus he and I have history and we both carry a bit of a grudge. He's gonna wanna face me head on." She smirks at Ochaco. "To be honest so do I."

"A battle of the sexes?" Ochaco bounced her eyebrows and made her laugh. "Well I'm with you, Midori-chan!"

Izumi smiled and she slapped palms with Uraraka in a high five. When the buzzer sounded Izumi stepped up to the building her eyes focusing. "Use your quirk to lighten our weight."

"Okay? Are we floating up to the open window?"

"Nope…" once she felt her body lighten Izumi surrounded Ochaco in her quirk lifting her up to the roof and then herself. "If I'm right, the weapon is right below us." She walked to the roof door and pulled out one of her projectile disks. She slid it up against the lock and used her quirk around the door handle to jiggle it from the other side. When the lock sprung open Izumi heard a little "bingo" inside her head. "Why waste time sneaking up flights of stairs?"

"So cool!" Ochaco squealed in a hushed tone. Izumi motioned for her to be quiet and the two of them quietly walked down the roof access. There was a long dark hallway, but light came from an entryway and Izumi slowly worked her way over to peek in. She smirked and turned to her partner jerking her thumb inside.

"What did I tell yah?" she whispered and Ochaco had to cover her mouth to hold in her squee of excitement. She peeked around, her eyes scanning for Bakugo.

"It's only Iida inside."

"That won't last long if we raise Iida's alarm." she tapped the intercom in her ear. "He could contact Kacchan rather quick then it'll be a two on two fight."

"Things could go south really quickly then. What should we do?"

"We bide our time. Kacchan's probably searching the halls trying to find us. We keep an eye on Iida and find the right moment to strike." She motioned her further in and looked around the room trying to formulate a plan.

In the observation room, All Might and the rest of the students all eyed the monitors as the infiltration went down.

"I wonder where Midoriya learned to pick locks." Kirishima questioned aloud. "Was she a delinquent before coming here?"

"Some learn out of necessity," All Might said, but had actually wondered the same thing. "The hero team is only given two access points, but she eliminated time consumption by using her own abilities to create another access point closer to where she predicted the weapon might be."

"Whoa, that's smart. Look at Bakugo, he's completely oblivious to their location." Kaminari laughed. "The look on his face when he notices they passed right by him is gonna be hysterical."

"Oh hey look, Iida is moving. What's he doing with all that debris?" Ashido pointed out when she saw movement.

"It looks like he's clearing out the room." All Might explained. "He's anticipating his opponents."

Back with Izumi and Ochaco, Izumi motioned her to back up against the pillar trying to stay out of sight as Iida moved about. He was moving too fast for either of them to make a move and Izumi was getting impatient. They needed to act, but what should they do?

Thinking quick she took one of her projectiles and floated it back into the hallway. She let it skitter on the ground getting Iida's attention.

"They're here?" Iida jogged towards the door. "As expected of Midoriya. Bakugo-kun the heroes-"

"I've got 'im! Go Ura-chan!"

"Right!" Uraraka made a dash for the weapon.

"Release me you fiendish hero!" Iida pumped the engines on his legs running in place and finally squirmed free of her quirk.

"What?!" Izumi cursed and tried to catch him. "Uraraka hurry! He got loose!"

Uraraka tried not to look back as she raced for the weapon. Her hands stretched out making a grab but Iida was too fast. He snagged the weapon and zipped away laughing.

"Nice try heroes! It'll take more than that to defeat me! Mwehehehe!"

Ochaco couldn't help it. She snorted and held her mouth.

"He's taking this so seriously."

"Not a good time to laugh, Uraraka." Izumi scowled. "Kacchan's on his way, it won't be long before-"

"You called?" Bakugo stormed in with a growl in his throat. Izumi cursed and whirled around to face him.

"You had me searching through this entire building, but you were here the whole time. You're really trying to make a fool outta me aren't yah, Usagi." He flanked the two girls. With Iida and the weapon on the far side of the room he couldn't use his special move… so he suppose he'd just have to take Izumi on hand to hand.

"Trust me it's not hard." Izumi said holding up her fists ready to fight. This was bad, they were at a severe disadvantage now. Even if shei could keep Kacchan busy there was little to nothing Uraraka could use her quirk on that would make a difference. Time was running out!

There had to be something they could do, some way they could win. She needed to limit Iida's movements so Uraraka could sneak up and grab the weapon… but how?

"Don't dodge, Usagi" Bakugo launched forward rushing her.

"Uraraka get out of the way!" She screamed to her partner bringing up her fist, circling it in her quirk. She countered his punch with one of her own. The explosion he released acting as a smoke screen so he could get behind her and release another on her back. She screamed out in pain falling forward and rolling out of the way before he could attack her again.

She propped up on one knee releasing two disks from her straps and sending them hurdling at Bakugo. He smacked them away, but it left him open for her roundhouse kick to the face.

"Amazing! It's just like a martial arts movie!" Ochaco bounced as she watched with excited eyes.

"The hell you just standing around for!" Izumi shouted at her even as she continued to fight against Bakugo hand to hand, doing her best to avoid the explosions and maneuver around him. "GET THE WEAPON!"

"Eh? Oh right!" She turned to face Iida. With Izumi and Bakugo locked in combat he would need to avoid getting caught up in it. This limited his movements. She rushed forward and straight at him.

"Oh no you don't!" Iida ran forward to catch her, but she used her quirk to float herself up and over him her arms out reaching for the weapon. She squeaked and squealed when iida suddenly raced back moving the weapon out of the way. She rolled and somersaulted her back hitting the wall.

"Oof!"

"Damn it," Izumi cursed whens he caught Uraraka fall out of the corner of her eye. Even with Iida's limited space he could still outmaneuver them both. He was too fast, and Bakugo was proving too combat strong. She skidded along the floor and held out both of her hands to wrap her energy around Bakugo to stop him long enough for her to punch him in the face and kick him across the room. She ran to Ochaco to help her off the ground.

"You alright?"

"I'm sorry, Midori-chan. He's too fast for me."

"It's okay, we just gotta be more sneaky about it. I've got an idea but we need to come up with some kind of distraction." She kept talking but her eyes watched Bakugo and Iida to make sure they weren't advancing. Bakugo picked himself up off the ground, his irritation reading clear on his face. The idea sparked and her lips curved as she continued to whisper to her partner. "I've got it… here's the plan."

Meanwhile in the observation room All Might was wiping sweat from his brow from how nail biting this first round was turning out. He hadn't expected things to get this intense, but both teams were proving to be tenacious.

"Man did you see those kung fu moves?!" Kaminari punched the air. "Midoriya is a badass!"

"Bakugo still has an advantage. His combat levels are off the charts." Sero put in.

"How much time do they have left?" Ashido looked at the clock. "Midoriya better hurry up and think of something fast."

"I think she already has." Todoroki commented stepping closer to the screen. "She's sticking close to her partner and her lips are moving. It looks like they're exchanging battle strategy."

"Man I wish we could hear what they're saying." Kirishima complained.

"Hey look, Bakugo is stepping forward!" Kaminari pointed and all attentions focused again.

Back with the teams...

"I'm loaded up…" Bakugo said held up his gauntlet. He walked in front of Iida staring at the two girls with a laugh in his throat. "I've had enough of playing games, Usagi."

"Good thing I'm not playing then." She wiped sweat from her chin, eyeing Uraraka who was picking herself up off the ground. It was a standoff, Villains vs. Heroes, only a few minutes left on the clock.

"You of all people should know how my quirk works, Usagi." Unlocking the mechanism on his gauntlet he pointed it in their direction. "I designed this costume to store my sweat inside it…"

Izumi's eyes suddenly widened and she held out her hand.

"Kacchan don't! Are you crazy!?"

"Young Bakugo don't do it!" All Might warned. "You'll kill them both!"

"they'll survive so long as I don't hit them!" He released it aiming it higher so to avoid a direct hit.

Izumi acted quickly.

"Ura-chan!" She wrapped Uraraka in her quirk tossing her to safety and taking the brunt of the explosion on herself. She felt the heat and force of it knock her back. She skid across the floor and barely came at a stop by the window. The entire street side wall had been blown open, and Izumi barely hung on the edge, her leg and arm dangling over.

"BAKUGO!" Iida grabbed his partner by the shoulder. "I know you're trying to play the villain but are you stupid?! You could have killed them!"

"She won't die…" Bakugo shrugged off Iida's arm and walked calmly to Izumi who rolled over and struggled to stand. "With her new quirk and fancy training she's too strong to die." He reached down and grabbed her by the hair. "Ain't that right, Usagi."

"You're fucking insane…" She grit her teeth glaring up at him. "Even if you are just playing a role you're taking this way too far."

"I'm trying to teach you a lesson, Usagi." He held the capture tape. "You're severely outmatched. Let me tie you up and I won't have to hurt you again."

"You won't have to, huh? So it's all my fault you acted like this?" She turned her head to look at him with a sadistic and pitying smile. "Poor Kacchan, I'm sorry I've made you such a horrible person."

"Shut up!" He pinned her to the ground his teeth gritting. "You don't get to look at me like that. You've always been weak! I'm stronger than you, smarter than you, faster than you! Don't you dare look at me like you're better than me!"

"You're right about a couple of things." She laughed a little and twisted her head just enough to eye Uraraka who was using her quirk to crawl along the ceiling. The smoke from Bakugo's explosion was providing the perfect cover, and Iida's attention was focused on her and Bakugo. "You're stronger than I am… Faster than I am…" She opened her palm showing off her own capture tape. "But I am WAY smarter than you!"

"What!?" Bakugo jerked back, but couldn't move away fast enough before Izumi used her quirk to tie the capture tape around his neck.

"URARAKA!"

"RELEASE!" Ochaco dropped down on top of the weapon and hugged it tight. "Retrieved!"

"NO! THE WEAPON!" Iida held his helmet staring in utter shock at having been fooled.

The timer ran out and All Might's stunned voice came through the speakers.

"The Hero Team… WINS!"

Izumi grinned and she struggled to stand. She had to give it to her Sensei and the U.A design team, her costume came away unscathed and protected most of her body from burns and scrapes. Still her body ached and she held her right arm that was banged up.

"Villains...they always like to monologue." Izumi laughed and released the tape from her hold. Bakugo gasped for air and rolled onto his hands and knees. "Don't feel too bad Kacchan. If this had been a one on one you would have won."

"Get the fuck off me!" He snapped and slapped her hand away when she offered to help him up. In the background Uraraka tossed her cookies from using her quirk on herself for a drawn out period of time. "Go baby your partner! I don't need your help!"

Izumi's eyes flickered with hurt but she kept the smile in place.

"You never do...but now do you understand that I don't need your protection anymore?"

"Tch, shut up. I gave up protecting you the moment you decided to dress and act like a fucking slut. I don't care if you're quirkless, or not. I don't care if you want to be friends or not. I'm going to prove to you I'm better than you and wipe that annoying smug look off your face!"

He pointed a finger at her snarling.

"You won this round, but I'm never going to let you beat me again. You hear me, Izumi?"

Izumi felt her breath catch when he called her name. She felt the pleasure warm in her heart and smiled genuinely at him. She watched his face go flush at the look and had to laugh. Her eyes softened with feminine charm and let the smile turn smug again.

"Loud and clear," she held his chin and kissed his cheek. "Katsuki."

~Observation Room~

"You all did well!" All Might put his hands on his hips looking at the four of them. "Each and every one of you has something to work on, but you all showed your strengths today." He turned to the rest of the class. "Can anyone tell me what each one could have done to improve?"

"Bakugo could have not been a raging ball of fire?" Kaminari suggested. Bakugo grunted and held up his fist.

"Wanna say that again dunce face?!"

"Sir!" Yaoyorozu held up her hand. "Bakugo acted irrationally and used a large attack that was not suited for indoor combat. Iida did well under pressure and had thoroughly prepared for his opponents, but he wasn't fully aware of his surroundings which allowed the heroes to snatch the weapon."

All Might nodded at both explanations and tensed up as she kept going. The girl certainly had a lot to say.

"Uraraka lost focus and was often distracted by the events around her. As for Midoriya she did well to predict her enemies movements and thought outside the box. However it was clear she still hasn't grasped the full use of her quirk. When she attempted to grab Iida that should have given them an immediate victory, but she lost control allowing Iida to escape and buy time for his partner to arrive."

Izumi winced and she flexed her hands out staring at them. She was right, about all of it. Izumi thought she had managed to get a grasp on her quirk, but she only had full control over small in going objects. She would need to find a way to strengthen her quirk.

As they went through the remaining battles Izumi kept her eyes on her classmates abilities. Todoroki proved impressive when he froze the entire building and won the exercise within a few minutes with little help from his partner.

"Impressive…" she pulled out her notepad from her belt pouch and jotted down quick notes muttering to herself as she did so. "Ice and heat...but he seems to favor his ice powers. I wonder why."

"Maybe I was wrong…" Bakugo muttered and turned his head away when she glanced up. "You haven't changed at all."

"In some ways probably not." She laughed and walked over to Todoroki as he and the others came in for evaluation. "Nice work, Todoroki."

"Ah...you too Midoriya." He put his hands in his pockets and eyed her notebook. "What are you doing?"

"Hmmm? Oh just taking notes. Never know when the info might come in handy." She put the notebook away.

"Right…" he watched her movements then looked in her eyes. It was curious at how expressive those eyes could be...but he'd also seen them blank as a doll's eyes. When she returned to class after the quirk assessment she was as personable as a dead fish and it had risen concern amongst the others. "Midoriya?"

"Hmm? What is It?"

"Where did you learn to pick locks?"

Izumi tensed up and she rubbed the back of her head laughing nervously.

"Oh uh well…." She thought of the varying handicapped lessons and punishments where she was forced to be handcuffed, locked up or tied down. She'd studied up on lock picking, and escape measures out of necessity for her survival and sanity. "magic books and stuff." She slapped him on the back and pushed him towards Shoji. "Oh look it's time for your overview Good Luck!"

"Okay…" he obediently walked over. A curious girl this Izumi Midoriya. He'd have to keep his eye on her.

_~**Ask Briry~**_

_**Briry: Todoroki is taking notice… the rectangle is forming… hehehe can't wait.**_

_**Next Chapter: Something's amiss**_


	10. Something's Amiss

**Midori the Villain**

**Chapter 10: Something's amiss**

"I don't wanna do it." Izumi told Uraraka and Iida up front as they had lunch together in the cafeteria. "I realize being made Class rep is a great opportunity and stuff but I honestly don't think I'm up to it."

"Are you kidding? You're perfect for the job." Uraraka told her munching rice. "It's because of you our team won the exercise."

"Uraraka is right. Your leadership skills were on par during the entrance exam when you brought a bunch of rivals together to defeat a common foe. You're a natural born leader." Iida insisted. "That is why I voted for you."

Izumi tapped her chopsticks against her bowl and eyed Iida's face. To be honest she was excited to see that several of the students had considered her a good choice for the candiacy, but she needed to concentrate on her own objective which was to get closer to All Might.

"I'm flattered… but I think you'd make a better Class Rep than I would." She leaned on her hands smiling affectionately at him. "I may be a capable leader… but I don't exactly like to follow the rules. You're by the book, structured, and you can speak your intentions clearly. You've my respect Iida."

"Hmmm?" Iida blinked in surprise and he set his utensils down to hold his heart. "It is I who should be flattered. I didn't receive any votes so I didn't think the class thought me capable."

"My blunder… I voted for myself because I thought everyone else would be doing the same. Out of all the students in our class I think you and Yaoyorozu are best suited at leading us." She picked up her chopsticks. "I'll insist upon it after lunch."

"Midoriya I-" Iida started to protest but the alarms started going off. His head shot up and students started rushing for the exit in a panic. Izumi's brow twitched and she nibbled on her food watching everyone storm the exit. Uraraka and Iida were up and following the pack like a couple of lemmings, but she lagged behind.

"I don't feel like getting run over today." She felt her phone vibrate in her pocket and she pulled it out. Her brow rose when a picture of the disintegrated front gate was in her display under an unknown number. Under the picture was a single sentence:

"_Thought I'd come say hi."_

"You could have just called me, baka…" she laughed and rubbed the picture affectionately with her thumb. "Such a reckless boyfriend I have."

**~Meanwhile~**

Tomura looked down at his phone from the darkness of the alley. His attention perked up when Izumi responded to his message.

"_Next time just send flowers, silly." 💕_

He smirked at the little heart emojis beside her words and he closed the phone holding it to his chest. What sort of hold did this girl have on him? Send flowers? The image of himself buying such a stupid frilly gift was both idiotic and oddly appealing.

He supposed he could pick up a bouquet, something different and clever. Maybe some roses with the petals plucked off… scatter those on her bed so she could lay in it like a puddle of blood. The image was so erotic he very nearly opened his phone again to call the Master to make it happen. Kurogiri warped beside him cutting off the urge and shifting his attention to the task at hand.

"Well?" He said with a snap of temper at having his thoughts interrupted.

"Our contact got the schedule. Tomorrow Karma's class is to do rescue training with All Might, and two other teachers in an off site training facility. Our contact was also able to grab up the schematics and layout of the facility in question. It's the perfect place and time to put an end to All Might."

"Excellent…" He laughed. "Finally all this waiting will finally pay off."

"Are you sure this is a good idea, Shigaraki? I'm all for killing the so called Symbol of Peace, but wouldn't this put Karma at risk?"

"You and I will be the only ones who know about Karma's true identity. The master has taught her too well to have her die at the hands of a bunch of rookie thugs. Besides..." He opened his phone and sent another message to Izumi before pocketing it away. "... it's time Karma got her hands dirty."

Inside the school all the students were making their way back to class. Izumi pulled out her vibrating phone as Tomura's text came in and she opened it smiling.

"_I'll see you soon." _

Uraraka poked her giving her friend a sly smile.

"Midori-chan, you're blushing. Is that your boyfriend you're texting?"

Izumi giggled and put her phone away and placed a finger to her lips.

"That's my secret, Ura-chan."

**~The Following Day~**

Izumi wasn't sure what had gotten into Tomura, but she was enjoying it. When she got home he'd been waiting for her, and spent the entire day lounging with her, cuddling with her, and hinting at sexual fun.

If the guy kept this up she wouldn't be able to hold out much longer. It wasn't that she wasn't willing to have sex but…

"Oi Usagi!" Izumi paused in her walk to glance back. She saw Bakugo walking briskly towards her looking miffed. The sight made her lips twitch.

"So much for Izumi…" She turned as he came up beside her and she walked in tandem with him. "No matter what I say or do you're still gonna call me Usagi, aren't you?"

"A rabbit is still a rabbit, even if she grows balls." He muttered to her and made her snort a little.

"Point taken…" She fiddled with the strap of her bag… and knowing it was a nervous gesture on her part made the effort to stop and grip the strap instead. "Fine… keep calling me Usagi. At least the name doesn't have the same meaning anymore."

"Yeah about that…" he rubbed the back of his neck. "I never actually called you Usagi because you were weak."

"Huh?" she stopped and stared up at him with a quizzical brow. "What do you mean?"

"Kuso," his face went flushed and he twitched under her scrutiny. "I called you Usagi, because of the way you look. When we were kids you used to wear your hair in pigtails and you'd bite your bottom lip a lot, especially when deep in thought. You looked like a baby rabbit and I stupidly thought it was cute."

"Eh?" Izumi's eyes went wide at that and he turned to face her fully.

"I know you prefer being called Izumi, or Midori… but it's the clearest memory I have of you. So the name kinda stuck." He yanked out her hair tie and twirled it around his finger watching the curls come loose. "Even with all these added changes I can still see the Usagi I knew. So you'll just have to live with it."

He started walking away first… and as he did Izumi felt the hard thump of her heart against her ribs. She held a hand there, almost afraid that it would pop right out of her chest.

This was why she couldn't give into Tomura just yet. Just like she hadn't gotten over her admiration of All Might, she also hadn't quite gotten over the childhood friend she'd crushed over for years. When she closed her eyes, sometimes she could still feel his kiss against her lips, feel his hands on hers… and a longing settled in.

"Midoriya?"

Izumi jumped and flushed whirling around to face Todoroki.

"Wha! Todoroki-kun! Geez you startled me." She laughed and held her chest for a whole new reason now.

"My apologies, that wasn't my intention." He glanced up watching Bakugo walk away. "He wasn't bullying you again, was he?"

"No… at least not in the way you mean." She strung fingers through her hair. "Actually I think we might have just reconciled. It's kinda hard to tell with him. At any rate I can handle Kacchan. I'm used to it."

"If you say so…" he wasn't sure what possessed him to do so, but he lifted a finger to brush a strand a hair away from her face. The knuckle gently rubbing the soft skin of her cheek. He became enamoured of the sprinkle of freckles there and along her pert nose. When she blushed from his contact it only made him stare more.

"What?" She took a step back cursing herself that she was feeling flushed. "Do I have something on my face?"

"No… I just like your face."

"EH?!" That did it, she went bright red and she took several steps away from him. "W-what the hell, Todoroki-kun? Where did that come from?"

"I don't know." He walked towards her and Izumi suddenly felt like she was being cornered. "It's just how I feel. You're not as striking as the other girls in our class, most would call you a bit plain… but I think that's why I like you. You're different."

"Normal!" Izumi held out a hand trying to keep distance between them. "The word you're looking for is normal, and I think I've had enough of this conversation for today. We need to get to class!" She hurried away from him her breath coming in sharp heaves. She slapped her cheeks trying to shake away the flush. "Good god what is with boys lately? It's like they're trying to stop my heart."

By the time Izumi entered the classroom she was in a state of constant mutters. Her emotions were all over the place, and her quirk was causing things around her immediate area to spin like her head was.

"Midori-chan, are you alright?" Uraraka walked to her desk and grabbed hold of the the rolling chair Izumi sat in to keep it from spinning in place. She placed a hand over her forehead. "You're burning up."

"Eh!?" Izumi's internal popped open when Uraraka touched her and she looked at her friend with a bashful expression she'd never seen before. "What did you say?"

"Whoa you're positively beat red." Curious, Ashido leaned in and Hagakure joined in. "You sick?"

"N-No I just… it's hot in here…" she grabbed one of her notebooks and fanned herself with it diverting her eyes. After careful speculation the girls face suddenly went sly.

"Oooooh now I get it." Uraraka grinned and hugged Izumi from behind. "You've been talking to your boyfriend, haven't you?"

"EH!?" Izumi's chair floated up a few inches and then slammed down. She immediately stood and shook her head in denial. "No, no it wasn't-"

"What! How come you didn't tell us you had a boyfriend, Midori?" Ashido positively beamed at this news.

"Boyfriend?" Todoroki, who had just entered the room suddenly took interest. "Midoriya has a boyfriend?"

"Todoroki-kun I…" she started to explain but jerked back when she started getting crowded by the girls.

"Oooh tell us, tell us, what's he like?" Hagakure joined in bouncing. "Is he tall, short? Is he good looking?"

"How old is he? Does he go to school with us?" Uraraka continued, eyes bright and excited. "Come on, tell us all about him."

"That's right, Usagi." Bakugo who had been ignoring the female banter suddenly turned his annoyed expression on Izumi. He stood and pinned her up on the wall looking in her flushed eyes. "Tells us all about your boyfriend."

"K-K-Kacchan…" She held up her hands defensively wondering how she managed to revert to her old self so easily.

"Better yet bring the bastard here…" He held up his hand, sparks popping up all over the place. "Introduce me to him so I can give him a proper greeting."

That suddenly brought the flush out of her cheeks. Her eyes narrowed and she shoved Bakugo back and balled up her fists.

"No way! You don't get to act like that! I'm not bringing him here! In fact I'm not telling you guys anything!"

"Eh?" Ashido's tentacle horns drooped. "Why not?"

"BECAUSE IT'S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!" She shouted… and immediately regretted when she saw the looks of hurt displayed on the girl. She lowered her head and averted her eyes. "Excuse me, I need to use the restroom."

When she left there was a loud heavy sigh shared amongst the girls and Ashido glared at Bakugo.

"Nice work, Bakugo."

"Ha!? How the hell is it my fault? You're the idiots who kept badgering her with stupid questions."

"She might have been more open to share if you hadn't shoved her into a corner like that." Ashido pointed out.

"I don't know…" Uraraka rubbed the top of Izumi's chair looking guilty. "We were also pushing her kinda hard. Izumi may look and act tough, but she's really shy when it comes down to it."

"I agree with Uraraka-san." Yaoyorozu commented from her seat. "It could be Midoriya-san doesn't feel comfortable with sharing such private feelings. I think it's best if we all apologize and leave the matter be."

**~Later in the Locker room~**

It was announced that they would be doing rescue training today. While changing into their hero gear the topic of Izumi's relationship came up amongst the boys.

"I gotta say it was kinda shocking to hear that Midoriya has a boyfriend." Kaminari commented out of nowhere. "She seems like the type of girl who would threaten to cut off your balls if you ask her out on a date."

"It's all guff." Bakugo said with a slam of the locker, still irritated he hadn't been able to get an answer out of Izumi. "She only acts like that to make herself seem stronger than she actually is. It's damn irritating."

"You seem to know her well, Bakugo." Todoroki commented rubbing his shirt between his fingers. He wasn't sure why, but the news of Izumi's relationship had stung.

"We grew up together so I know her better than anyone." He slipped on a gauntlet, pausing and clenching a fist. "Or at least I did. During our last year of Middle School she started taking lessons from this guy, she wouldn't say who. Little by little she got more brazen… but she completely changed after her mother died."

"Her mom?" This caught Torodoki's attention more. "What happened to her?"

"She died in a fire. Izumi ran right into the flames, nearly got herself killed trying to save her." He slammed his locker closed as the memory of her screams of pain and anguish ripped at him. "Didn't make a damn bit of difference."

"Poor Midoriya…" Kirishima looked down at his feet and tugged on his red hair. He recalled having a similar experience of helplessness but nothing to that extreme. "I can see how that would change a person."

"Don't tell her I told you all this. Facade or not she'll still give me a hard time for blabbing." He pointed an accusing finger at the lot of them. "None of this leaves this room, you got it?"

"Mmm got it… but hey since when do you act all calm and rational?" Kirishima pointed out and put up the image of Bakugo's villain act to mind. "Normally you're all like- DIE DIE DIE!"

"I'M ALWAYS CALM AND RATIONAL YOU RED HAIR LOSER!"

"Ah hey there you are!" Kirishima slapped him hard on the back grinning. "That's the Bakugo we know."

"Shut it, you idiot, and don't touch me!" Bakugo barked back. Despite the attitude he walked out with Kirishima, unaware he'd just made a friend for life.

Outside, Izumi adjusted the gloves on her costume. She felt calmer now, especially since the girls had the decency to apologize for their forwardness earlier. She felt some distance between them now, and though it hurt to know she'd upset them all it was probably for the better. She couldn't risk getting too attached to her classmates. Better to stay focused on her agenda, and avoid any unnecessary bonds.

"Midoriya." Todoroki approached her and she gave him cool distant eyes, the bravado Bakugo had mentioned well in place. "I want to apologize."

"For what?" She put a hand on her hip facing him.

"For the trouble I caused. It's because of what I said that those girls started asking questions right?" He bowed to her apologetically. "I ask your forgiveness."

"Birds of a feather, you and Iida…" Izumi murmured but smiled. She knocked him on the head lightly. "There's no need for you to apologize. You just caught me a bit off guard because I'm not used to compliments like that."

"Not even from your boyfriend?"

"Geh…" Izumi's temple throbbed and she averted her eyes. "Well let's just say he's not as charismatic as you are."

"I see… but you love him, don't you?"

"Mmmm, I do." Her eyes softened. "He's not what most would consider boyfriend material, but-" She held her heart. "He makes me feel wanted, needed… and i've never had that before. I don't need a bunch of compliments or pretty words. So long as I know I'm what he wants… then I can handle his quirks."

Both the mental and physical, she added silently with a small smirk.

"So long as he makes you happy, then I guess that's okay." He placed a hand on her shoulder. "You deserve to be happy, Midoriya. After what you've gone through."

"Yeah I… wait what?" Her eyes lifted to his face. "What do you mean after what you've gone through."

"Oh… sorry I wasn't supposed to tell." Todoroki pulled back letting his hand fall at his side. "I know about your mom."

Izumi's back went up. Pain flickered in her eyes and she felt the tears burning in her throat. She fought them back, and clenched her fists at her sides.

"Kacchan told you?" she spoke hoarsely.

"Please don't get mad at him." Todoroki told her. "I don't think he meant to tell us either… he's just concerned about you. He says you've done a lot of changing over the past year."

"Yeah…" she gave a sarcastic laugh and turned her back to him. "That's the understatement of the year." She grit her teeth narrowing her eyes on Bakugo. "Do me a favor and forget you heard all that."

"I can't, I'm sorry." He apologized when he saw her go rigid with irritation. "I won't tell anyone if that's what you want… but I can't just forget what I heard because it hits a little too close to home for me."

"What?" She turned her head to face him. "What do you mean?"

Iida started shouting at the class to get in line so they could load onto the bus. Todoroki pet the top of her head as he walked past her.

"I'll tell you about it, another time. Come on, let's line up before Iida loses his voice."

Izumi nodded but wondered just what Todoroki had meant by that. She'd seen the harsh sadness in his eyes briefly before he'd masked it with his usual cool expression. There was something more to this boy than met the eye… and it made her all the more curious.

They boarded the bus, the ride over pretty uneventful as her classmates exchanged small talk amongst each other. When they arrived at their destination, the Space Hero Thirteen was waiting for them and the hype got louder. Uraraka in particular looked excited as Thirteen was one of her favorite heroes.

"I can't believe I actually get to meet him in person! I have his poster on my wall at home." She bounced.

"I've watched plenty of coverage on Thirteen," Izumi told her. "He's a Pro rescue hero, and doesn't have much experience with combat. I like him too." She admitted. Thirteen was no All Might… but he was definitely in her top five favorite heroes list.

… and that ended right there, Izumi thought and shook her head. Get out of fangirl mode right now. This wasn't the time to ogle at other heroes. All Might was supposed to be here and she needed to stand out and gain his favor.

As they stepped inside her eyes immediately scanned for him… but All Might was nowhere to be found. Figures… he'd probably make some grand entrance later, have all the students ogling and making happy faces.

"How frustrating…" she muttered.

Thirteen gave a brief lecture about quirks and their potential hazardous to others. Izumi thought of her own quirk, and while it was more functional than dangerous, she knew it could be used to harm someone… if she had the inclination to.

Lucky for them… she didn't want to kill anyone.

"Alright, then first let's-" Aizawa started to comment, but the stadium lights flickered and started to go out.

Izumi's breath stopped as a familiar chill crawled up her spine and she went deathly pale. She immediately recognized the swirling purple aura coming out of the courtyard fountain and she felt her legs wanting to give out.

"What…" she whispered and shook like a leaf as the teachers and other students took notice of it. Kurogiri's mist-like body spread open like a condor's wings and out of the black depths a horde of villains stepped through.

Tomura stayed close to Kurogiri's body, a large massive Nomu walking out to stand beside him. Izumi recognize it as the first one her Sensei had put her up against and the twisting in her belly increased.

"Where is he?" Tomura looked around for All Might, irritation spreading when he didn't find him. "I made the effort of bringing all these people here to meet him." When his eyes found Izumi instead he let the grin spread over his face. "Oh well… I'm sure he'll come out to play once we start having a little fun… right, Karma?"

Tomura… Izumi thought with absolute panic… what the hell have you done?

_**~Ask Briry~**_

_**Briry: Dun, dun, DUN! Now the real fun begins *rubs hands together excitedly* Stay tuned! **_

_**Next Chapter: Panic Mode**_


	11. Panic Mode

Midori The Villain

Chapter 11: Panic mode

"Midoriya… Midoriya… Hey snap out of it!" Kirishima waved a hand in her face and shook her trying to snap her out of her daze. "Come on this is no time to be shell shocked! We gotta go!"

"You heard him, Usagi!" Bakugo grabbed her hand and yanked her. Izumi stumbled numbly after him. "Leave it to goggle head, we need to go!"

She followed him, but Izumi couldn't get past the ringing buzz in her ears. Her eyes were horror stricken, and face pale as a ghost. Her body felt like lead, her feet dragging across the ground.

"So slow… Damn it… WAKE UP!" Bakugo slapped her, Kirishima jumping and making nervous hand gestures.

"Oi, Bakugo that's a bit…"

"OW!" Izumi shook her head and glared at Bakugo. "That hurt, Kacchan!"

"Good at least you're awake, now move your ass!" He yanked her along this time with more ease now that Izumi had shaken off the initial shock. "You can freak out once we've gotten the hell outta here."

The class all lumped together making their way for the exit. Half way down the path Kurogiri suddenly warped up from the floor spreading himself out so no one could move past him.

"There is no escaping!" He told them, keeping his senses on alert and watching for any movement. He spotted Izumi in the huddle, saw her fearful face and felt the smallest twinge of guilt. Still orders were orders, and he knew so long as she kept her mouth shut she would be in no real danger. "It's a pleasure to meet you, we are the league of villains."

Shut up, Izumi told him with her eyes anger and fear closing up her voice. Don't say anything, don't do anything, don't be idiots!

"It may be presumptuous of us but invited ourselves here in order to have All Might, the symbol of peace, take his last breath."

What? What the hell are you saying, Kurogiri? Izumi screamed in her mind. This wasn't the plan… this wasn't… Izumi's fear snapped into wide eyed realization.

Tomura… The break in...

Yesterday he'd kept her busy while the others concocted this barbaric plan. How stupid was she? They'd let the press break into the school so they could steal the schedule and know when the best time to strike All Might was.

… but All Might wasn't here. Why? When would he arrive? When he did what were they planning on doing?

She looked back towards Tomura. He and Nomu hadn't budged from their original positioning. She clenched her teeth and her fist shook. Damn it! They were gonna get themselves caught or killed. She needed to get them outta here… but first she needed to get her classmates to safety.

She pulled out a diskette, and flung it at Kurogiri. He flinched back, but there was a small audible "clink" where it bounced off his armor.

"Foolish child!" Reading her signals he stretched himself out again. She was trying to tell him to back off, to let them go… but he had a job to do. "Did you really think that would hurt me?!"

"That's not what she was after…" Bakugo called out, having read the signals a little differently. He let go of Izumi's hand to rush forward with Kirishima right behind. "Damn nerd, even when petrified with fear she's always thinking." He whispered and hurled an explosion in the direction of the clink.

Smoke and mist flowed up, neither party knowing what the result of the collision was.

"My, my, that was close." Kurogiri reformed and his eyes sharpened. "You should be more careful, chilren. Otherwise someone might get hurt."

"Move out of the way!" Thirteen shouted at them, but it was too late.

"KACCHAN!" Izumi screamed at him just as Kurogiri wrapped them all up in his mist. She purposely stayed up, bracing her arms out against the harsh winds as they lifted her up and plucked her through space.

~Shipwreck zone~

Izumi resisted the urge to scream as the darkness opened up to reveal the mass of water beneath her. As she fell she quickly wrapped herself up in energy floating just above the water and panting. She glanced around and guided herself to the nearby ship and allowed herself to collapse onto her knees on deck.

"What the hell? What the fucking hell!?"

What in the world were these fools thinking? They were being so stupid planning an attack like this. Were they trying to get her caught? Were they trying to ruin all her hard work? What was this about KILLING All Might? They were just supposed to expose his weakness, expose the heroes for what they were. How the hell were they supposed to expose anything in this isolated zone on a U.A. campus where there were tons of pro heroes nearby?

"Idiots… they're all a bunch of reckless fools." She gripped the side of the ship and gasped as something flopped on the boat. She whirled around, getting to her feet and preparing to fight. She saw Mineta laying flat and covered in water and looked down to see Tsuyu climbing up the edge. She felt a huge sigh of relief expel from her lips. "Asui?"

"Call me Tsuyu…" She said and jumped on. "Glad to see you're alright, Midori-can."

"I wouldn't say alright." she admitted with a slight curse. "We're not exactly in a hopeful situation right now." She bowed her head. "We need to get out of here and alert the school somehow."

"Can't you use your quirk to fly yourself over the water?" She pointed out and Izumi sighed heavily staring out at the water. She could make out the dark shadows under the surface of the villains hiding below. All of them probably had water-based quirks which gave them the advantage.

"I was going to, but I don't like the idea of leaving you two here by yourselves." She sat down and pulled a knee up so she could rest her forehead on it. "Besides I can only float myself for a few minutes at a time, I don't think I could hold it for that length of distance."

"Are you alright? You look awfully pale. I thought someone like you would be super calm in this kind of situation." She crouched down in front of her.

So did she, Izumi admitted, but damn it she was scared shitless. She didn't know if any of these lesser villains knew she was part of the league. She didn't know if they would blab her secret and blow her cover. Tomura had put her in a sticky situation, making her unsure of her options and torn between her loyalties.

She could understand why they wanted to kill All Might. Tomura hated him, and as far as she knew everyone else in the league hated him too… but she didn't. This wasn't the plan… this wasn't what she was prepared for!

"Why am I here?" She murmured as panic began to bubble in her chest. "I shouldn't be here… I wanna go home."

"Midori-chan." Tsuyu hugged her and Mineta knelt down and pat her shoulder.

"It's okay, Midoriya. All Might will be here soon. He'll beat up all the villains and then we can go home."

"Be realistic, Mineta." Izumi said lifting her head with tears in her eyes. She'd seen Nomu the moment the bad guys had warped in. All for One said he'd been saving that Nomu for something special and that something was All Might. "They've found a way to kill All Might. They wouldn't be this tenacious if they didn't believe it would work. On top of that we're scattered all over USJ, who knows how our classmates are fairing, and who knows how long we'll last against a mob of them. Do you really think All Might would get here in time to save us, and even if he does do you think he'll walk away unscathed?! Don't be STUPID!"

Mineta's face crinkled up and he started bawling himself.

"Stop it! Stop it! Stop it!" He covered his ears wailing and Tsuyu shook her head.

"Midori-chan, I think you broke him."

"Maybe, but after yelling at him I feel better." She sighed heavily and stood up. "If I'm gonna die anyway, I'm not gonna do it crying like a baby." She paced around the ship looking at the villains come up from the water. "There's too many of them for me to attack them all at once." She pulled out a diskette wishing it was a knife. "Tsuyu how far can you jump?"

"About 20 feet… why?"

"Take Mineta with you and jump as far as you can away from here. I'll distract the villains and give you some time to escape."

"You want us to leave you here to die?"

"I'd prefer to die saving my friends, then die begging them to stay and keep me company." She glanced back smiling. "Mineta your balls are bouncy right? Think you can assist Tsuyu with them?"

Mineta sniffed and shook his head.

"My quirk doesn't work like that. The balls bounce right off of me but they stick to everyone and everything else. Depending on my mood they can stay sticky a whole day." He demonstrated by pulling one off and setting it on the side of the ship.

Izumi saw this. Her first initial thought was that it was a pretty weak quirk for a potential hero… but as she looked at it, hugging the side of the ship her eyes started to widen. She got closer, looking back and forth between it and the villains.

"That's it…"She murmured and her grin spread wide. "That's it! Mineta you little genius!" She grabbed his face kissing him quick on the mouth. His eyes went wide and turned to hearts and practically melted into a puddle. "I need you to pull off at least twenty of those... a few at a time so I can focus my quirk around them."

"Eh heh heh, no problem, happy to help." He started to pulled them off one by one, Izumi floating them up doing her best to stay inboard so as not to alert the villains as to what they were up to.

"What are you doing Midori-chan?" Tsuyu got close eyeing her curiously.

"Be prepared to jump, Tsuyu." Izumi gave her a wicked grin as she hoisted the balls high in the air. "We're getting out of here!"

With a quick flick of her wrists the balls scattered into the water, villains looking around confused wondering and panicking about what she'd done. Under the water she attached the balls to the villains and then dragged their bodies toward the ship.

"What!? What the hell!? Something's pulling me… what the hell is this?" One of the villains noticed the ball izumi attached and tried to pull it off but got his hand stuck.

"Mineta toss more in!"

"You got it!" Blinded with lust and admiration Mineta tossed ball after ball into the water, the waves connecting them into the villains. All at once Izumi managed to drag all twenty of the balls she was controlling right up against the hull of the ship. Every villain now stuck against the metal unable to move or get away.

"Tsuyu now!"

"Ribbit!" Asui grabbed up Mineta who was still throwing balls, more out of an adrenaline rush than anything else. To finish the job Izumi took control of the loose balls and slapped them up against the stuck villains. Any who tried to help pry them off would wind up getting stuck as well.

"Not sure if that's all of them, so stay alert!" She yelled at Asui and leapt up after them, using her quirk to float herself above the water. When Asui hit the water she floated down to join them and waded in the rest of the way to shore.

"Doesn't look like anyone's following us." Izumi said with some relief. She wiped at the sweat on her cheek with the back of her hand. "That could have gone really bad if my aim hadn't been on point. I'm glad it all worked out."

"Me too, let's celebrate!" Mineta held out his arms and puckered his lips only to get a fist to the head as izumi punched him straight down into the water.

"That was a one time thing, you little perv. Don't you dare tell anybody I did that or I'll rip your lips right off!" Izumi warned him and mineta floated up with little Xs on his eyes.

"So what's the plan now?" Tsuyu looked out around the area. "Where do we go from here?"

"You guys should follow the waterbank." Izumi gestured with her finger. "It leads all the way up to the floor. The two of you should be able to sneak past the warp gate by climbing up the side of the stairs with your quirks. From there you can get help."

"What are you gonna do?" Mineta rubbed his sore head as Izumi pulled herself up out of the water and eyed the central square. It took him two seconds to guess her plan and he whispered harshly. "Wait no way! You're gonna get yourself killed if you go over there, Midoriya."

"Maybe… I'm not stupid, but Aizawa isn't the type of hero who can take on a large mob of villains on his own. It isn't his element. If I can lighten his load a little, I'd feel better with myself than I would just running away."

"No way!" Mineta climbed up after her and grabbed her hand. "You're coming with us to get help. What if we run into more bad guys? Tsuyu and I aren't as proficient in combat as you and Bakugo, we'll be in serious trouble if you leave."

"If you do what I tell you then you won't have to fight, you idiot." She shoved him off and back into the water. She looked to Tsuyu, who opened her mouth to protest but caught the look in Midoriya's eyes. "Get outta here now. I'm not waiting for you." She walked off, her ears already picking up sounds from the fight.

"Okay…" Tsuyu croaked and looked down at Mineta. "We should go. There's no stopping her, Mineta-kun." she turned him towards the wall. As they waded Tsuyu thought of the look in Izumi's eyes… the cold anger having sent shudders down her spine. "She's made up her mind."

~Meanwhile in the Square~

It wasn't often he ran head first into battle, but Tomura had spotted Eraser Head's weakness and knew it was time to strike. Having counted the beats between when his hair floated up and down he found a rhythm and used it to his advantage. He waited until the beats his their low end and grabbed hold of his elbow gripping it tight. The moment Eraser Head blinked his hand began to deteriorate the skin and clothes, peeling away flesh to the raw muscle and bone underneath.

By the time Eraserhead put his quirk back into use it was too late, the damage had been done. With only one arm he was limited in his movement, his eyes tired and dry out from fighting for a lengthy time, and his stamina was at its limit.

"Despite being at a disadvantage you still jumped head first into this fight all to protect your students. You really are so cool… but you were wrong with your previous statement. I'm not the final boss." He gave the signal to Nomu who lingered behind Aizawa. At the command he took no time at all making Aizawa bleed.

Within seconds Aizawa was face down in the dirt, his goggles broken, his body pinned and his arm twisted completely into a disfigured position.

"What do you think of him?" Aizawa asked with great amusement. "He's the bio-engineered anti-symbol of peace." Nomu screeched adding to the terrifying presence he gave. "You can erase quirks, but that's nothing in comparison to the raw power of Nomu." He laughed enjoying the sigh of this great hero in utter pain. He only wished that it were All Might he was seeing being broken and short apart slowly.

"Call him off, Tomura."

Izumi's voice caught him by surprise and he felt her take control of his body, his arms held out and his body left wide open. Against his back Izumi pressed a blade she'd found on the ground next to an unconscious villain.

"Hello, Karma." He whispered in the same hushed tone so as not to alert Aizawa. "Enjoying the show?"

"I said…" She pressed the knife harder, a bit of blood oozing and staining through the black shirt. "Call… him… off!"

Aizawa heard her the second time, his head raising up, eyes stricken with worry.

"Midoriya… what are you doing? Get away from him! Run!"

"Not until he calls off his beast!" She shouted back and grabbed the back of Tomur's shirt tugging it tight like a noose.

"You haven't got the gall to stab me." He laughed. "You heroes are all the same, violence for the sake of saving others, but you're too chickenhearted to go for the kill. MNNNG!" He cursed when Izumi rammed the knife into his arm.

"STILL THINK I'M BLUFFING!?" She shouted. "CALL HIM OFF!"

"You little bitch…" he grunted and looked to his creature with gritted teeth. "Nomu…"

Aizawa was let go, the man curled up on the ground bleeding profusely.

"Aizawa-sensei can you stand?!" She called out keeping her eyes on Tomura. When he didn't answer Izumi looked over and her eyes went wide. He wasn't moving. "Mr. Aizawa!?"

"Nomu…" Shigaraki spoke grabbing Izumi's attention again, She moved to stab him again but Nomu already clamped his arms around her waist and pulled her away. She brought the dagger up stabbing it slowly into Nomu's eye to gouge it. It raged and let loose enough for Izumi to slip from his arms and make a run for her teacher. She skidded to a knee and turned him over. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw him breathing.

"Alive…" she lifted her head. "Please…. He's no longer a threat to you. Let me take him someplace safe then I'll do whatever you want. I can be a hostage to lure in All Might. Please!"

"Humph… you really think I'm going to give you what you want after you did this to me?" He pointed to his bleeding arm. "I ought to tell Nomu to crush your skull like a nut."

"This is stupid." She stood up and in front of the injured Aizawa. "Coming here was stupid. You'll never get away with it. All Might is too powerful, even with the help of that beast! He's taken on countless monsters before!"

"Midoriya…" Aizawa wheezed and Izumi looked down. "Don't antagonize him."

"It's okay, Mr. Aizawa, I know what I'm doing." She lifted her head again and stepped forward.

"I won't let you hurt my teacher or my classmates anymore." She held out her hands, her quirk flaring out and lifting up nearby weapons. "Two of my classmates have already escaped and are on their way getting help. Be smart and leave now before your plan backfires!"

"Nice bluff…" Tomura said with a laugh. "How would you know they escaped when you're standing here with me? Kurogiri's watching the door, and ensuring our victory as we speak."

"Shigaraki Tomura…" Speak of the devil Kurogiri appeared behind him in a calm yet grievous tone.

"Kurogiri, good timing. Did you dispose of Thirteen?" Shigaraki turned to his partner.

"Thirteen is out of commission, but I'm afraid a student has escaped."

At the news of Thirteen Izumi's breath caught.. .but it quickly eased when Kurogiri backed up her words.

"Ha, still think I'm bluffing? Kurogiri was it? Take your boss and leave, The pros will be here any minute. You have lost! Now go!"

Please… she begged with her eyes trying so hard not to shake and show her fear. Tomura looked ready to snap. He scratched at his neck, his eyes staring wildly at her with a look of betrayal and malice.

"Damn you...Damn you, Damn you!" he stopped scratching. He'd have to punish her. He would punish her."I'm not leaving empty handed. Nomu… take her."

"Stop its quirk!" Izumi shouted at Aizawa and launched the weapons at Nomu. With Aizawa's help the knives, pipes, and other weapons embedded into its hide but it kept running at her. She felt Nomu grab her, and she struggled.

"Midoriya!" Aizawa struggled to stand Izumi being lifted up over his head.

"Let me go! Put me down!" She raged the weapons digging in and cutting open flesh making it bleed. She coughed as Nomus grip on her waist increased and she screamed in pain.

"No! Midoriya!" Aizawa got to his feet and stumbled a few steps before falling back down. Nomu slowly made its way back, keeping the tight grip on Izumi. Tomura laughed at the sound of her anguished cry and he felt revitalized.

"Careful Nomu, don't crush her too hard or there won't be much left for me to play with." He raised a hand ready to take a wheezing Izumi from his grasp...and stops as the front door of USJ explodes open.

All eyes turn to the figure walking boldly up to the top of the stairs. The villains who were knocked around by Aizawa were recovering and standing up to stare in awe at the Symbol of Peace.

"Everything is alright now...for I am here!" All Might scowled down ripping his tie off as anger vibrated through his person.

Nomu dropped Izumi and she crumbled to the floor hugging her stomach wincing. She stare up at All Might with pained eyes and a wry smile.

"All Might...fashionably late as always."

~Ask Briry~

Briry: shit has hit the fan and now its about to spread everywhere! Umbrellas everyone!!!

Next chapter: All Might's Trust


	12. All Might's Trust

**Midori the Villain**

**Author's Note: Sorry this one took a little long. I was playing around with plot and got some good ideas half way in and had to revise some sections.**

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter 12: All Might's Trust**

"Watch where you're going Icy Hot!" Bakugo snarled picking himself up off the ground as he, Kirishima and Todoroki all bumped into each other.

"My apologies." Todoroki stood and dusted himself off. "I was in a hurry."

"So are we." Kirishima rubbed the back of his head where it had smacked against the ground. He needed to improve his hardening speed. "Bakugo and I are planning on taking out that warp guy. That's to Midoriya we know he's got a physical body hiding under all that fog. We take him out and the villains are trapped here."

"That's a good plan, but we'll need to make our way through that large group of villains to get to him." He looked over towards the square. "I can hear it… there's still fighting going on."

"None of that matters to me." Bakugo released his quirk in a series of pops inside his hands. "I'm not about to let a few weakling criminals get in my way."

"Don't forget that their boss is in that cluster." Todoroki pointed out even as they snuck through way through a thicket of trees towards the square. "He won't be as easy as these other low level thugs. Not to mention I interrogated one of the villains, and he says that large bird like guy is supposed to be tailor maid to take on All Might."

"What?" Bakugo paused his run and glanced back. "Seriously?"

"That's why they're so confident they can kill him." Todoroki looked to his hand. "However, just because he's strong against All Might, doesn't mean he's impossible to beat. I think if we work together we can take them."

"Sounds good!" Kirishima pumped his fists. "I'm all for it!"

"Good, then let's-" Todoroki started to formulate a plan. A scream caught them off guard and their attention diverted to the square. Bakugo sprinted ahead first, his eyes widening at what he saw.

"Usagi?" He breathed it out, his eyes wide and heart stopping. Izumi was held over the monster's head, her waist squeezed between the massive palms that kept her from escaping. Even though her quirk went haywire trying to weaken him, the pain fully made her give, and the weapons all clattered as her body went limp.

"Midoriya!" Todoroki whispered harshly.

"This is bad! We have to- HURMMPH!"Kirishima started to break through the brush but Bakugo held him back and clamped a hand over his mouth.

"Shut up, shitty hair! Are you trying to give away our position?"

"But… Midoriya's in trouble! We gotta help her." Kirishima wriggled and shoved at Bakugo's palms.

"That damn warp gate is there. If he spots us before we're ready we'll just end up getting tossed somewhere else." Bakugo hissed. It was bad enough he could barely hold himself back let alone stop someone else from going in and saving Izumi's pathetic ass. Why the fuck did she always have to get herself into trouble?

"Bakugo is right…" though Todoroki too wanted to jump in he calmly assessed the situation. He could freeze the large villain, get Midoriya free, but there was no guarantee she wouldn't just get captured again after they'd been exposed.

"Careful Nomu, don't crush her too hard or there won't be much left for me to play with." The silver haired villain laughed, his hands reaching out to grab hold of Midoriya. It was the final snap on the boys control. All three prepared to leap into action… but the front door exploded open, and All Might appeared.

"It's all right now! For I am here!" All Might said proudly, his face twisted in a sneer as he ripped away his tie and stared down his opponents.

Aizawa lifted his head up from the ground and let out a small sigh of relief. Oh good, the idiot who started all this was here. He wasn't sure whether he was relieved or more concerned. Either way it didn't matter… Midoriya was still in danger. She was surrounded by three villains, and the one that had given them both so much trouble was bleeding and yet looked unfazed all the damage his student had managed to inflict.

"Fashionably late as always." Izumi wheezed and slowly sat up. She choked as Tomura snagged her up by the back of her neck, careful to hold out his middle figure to keep from damaging her further. "Tomura you really need to leave."

"Just shut up. I'm finally giving you what you wanted and making you my hostage. Nomu!"

"Idiot, that's not how a hostage situation works…" Izumi tried to explain but within a blink of an eye she was no longer looking at Tomura, but straight up at All Might. She was cradled in his arms like princess, tucked protectively up against his chest. "Wha?"

"When did he…" Kirishima rubbed his eyes as he watched from the sideline. "Did you guys even see him move?"

"No…" Bakugo laughed. "Now those villain fools are done for. All Might is gonna rip them to pieces."

"Ripping them to pieces doesn't exactly sound like All Might's style…" Kirishima laughed.

"Stay on alert…" Todoroki hushed. "Even if it is All Might, he's one man against three dangerous villains, one which was designed to kill him."

~meanwhile~

With Izumi and Eraserhead both away from immediate danger, All Might stood between them and the villains.

"Aizawa, Young Midoriya, I've got this. The two of you should meet up with the rest of the class by the exit."

"It's not gonna be easy…" Izumi said panting slightly, still winded from the squeeze around her ribs. "That thing is designed to kill you, All Might. Are you sure you don't want back up?"

"Not to worry," He turned giving a confident smile. "I've got this. Young Iida is on his way here with the other pros. I'll hold them off until the others get here so we could round them up."

"We're no good to him anyway." Aizawa said wincing and looking down at his bleeding arms. "I'm out of commission, and you're still a student."

"Hey, don't forget this student saved your butt." She jerked a thumb at herself pouting.

"I know…" he said stoically and he turned serious eyes onto her. "Thank you, Midoriya."

Taken aback by the genuine appreciation in his words Izumi looked away and down. She hadn't expected it to be that easy. She'd expected some lectures and complaints like she usually got whenever she attempted something heroic. Her chest tightened and she held a hand over it feeling the tears that wanted to fall.

"Go on, Little Midori…" All Might pat her head. "You've done well and deserve a rest. Let an old pro show you how it's done."

Izumi closed her eyes and her shoulders hunched at the pet. She could feel Shigaraki's glare from there. As her head lifted she met his eyes and felt the stabbing pain of his hatred. What did he expect her to do? She was between a rock and hard place, torn between her loyalties and trapped by her morals.

Just walk away, Izumi. She told herself and had even turned her back to the villains to walk side by side with Aizawa. Just keep walking… it's out of your hands.

As All Might leapt into action she froze half way, her heart thundering.

It wasn't her problem anymore. Whatever happened now was out of her control. This is what Tomura wanted, he wanted a chance to Kil All Might. Now that she and her classmates were taken out of the equation what did it matter to her if the lot of them killed each other.

There was a thunderous boom that sounded like an explosion that stopped her dead in her tracks. Her breath caught in her throat and she watched Aizawa continue walking.

No…. it did matter to her. Tomura wasn't thinking clearly, he was tossing his life away by making this stupid reckless move. If he managed to succeed in killing All Might he would be forever hated and hunted as the man who killed the Symbol of Peace.

...and if All Might succeeded in stopping him Tomura would get tossed in prison. Him, and Kurogiri. She'd never see them again, never sit in the bar and chat. Never taste Kurogiri's cooking, never cuddle into Tomura's tight protective hold. Never feel his cautious yet hungry touch.

The tears slipped down, and before she could think to stop herself she was already turning back around and running for the battlefield.

"Midoriya!" Aizawa shouted at her to stop, but had noticed too late. Her legs stretched out as she sprint, eating up more ground that way. Her eyes were wild with fear and desparation.

"DON'T DO IT!" She screamed now that she saw the situation. They had All Might trapped in their clutches. Much the way she'd been squeezed before, Nomu had a tight grip on All Might's waist and was crushing his ribs with a sickening crack. "Please don't kill him!"

She skidded to a halt as Kurogiri appeared in front of her, his eyes narrowed on her panicked face.

"You will not interfere again, child!" He opened his warp ready to swallow her up and send her straight back to the bar and out of the way.

"Out of the way, Usagi!" Bakugo shouted even as he came barreling in and blasting Kurogiri back and pinning him down by the metal casing he'd spotted from his hideaway in the trees. It'd taken him three seconds from seeing it to have his body leaping out and acting.

"Kacchan!" Izumi fell back on her ass staring up in shock. She watched as Ice crackled along the ground and froze up the left side of Nomu's body. Her head turned to its source. "Todoroki-kun!"

"I heard that these guys wanted to kill All Might… but we're not going to let that happen." He turned his eyes to Izumi. "You alright, Midoriya?"

No, no she wasn't… this was bad. She'd only meant to stop Tomura from killing All Might… to convince him to leave. Now Kurogiri was pinned down and their only method of escape cut off. On top of that Nomu was frozen solid.

Damn it… she tried to set things right but just ended up making them worse.

"Don't try anything funny!" Bakugo laughed as he sent off small explosions, warning Kurogiri not to move. "Usagi's little trick with her projectile tipped me about this body you got hiding underneath here. You make any sudden moves I'll blow you up so bad they'll be picking up pieces for weeks."

"Whoa, that doesn't sound very heroic." Kirishima said with a nervous smile, knowing full well Bakugo had the means to back it up.

"Not only did they resist capture, but most of you are all unharmed. Kids are so amazing these days." Shigaraki smiled, a sight that made Izumi's blood run cold.

"Tomura…" she whispered. Despite the pinch he and Kurogiri were in, the guy was so calm. What did he have planned? She took a hesitant step back when his eyes met hers. He was calm and quiet on the surface, but those eyes spoke volumes to her.

"Usagi? What a cute nickname for a girl. I must admit you look very much like a rabbit, all frightened and trembling." He held his hands out, the boys around her crowding in protectively with Bakugo keeping Kurogiri pinned. "I can't wait to see more of this side to you." His attention turned to the frozen beast and his grin spread wide and sadistic. "Nomu…"

On command, Nomu twisted and broke apart the frozen parts of his body. The shock on Izumi's face was delicious to Tomura's eyes. He wanted more of it… he wanted to punish her for getting in the way of his plans.

...but first they would need an escape route.

"We'll need our warp gate back." He looked to the boy Izumi had called "Kacchan." Oh he knew that name… when he and Izumi first met it was always Kacchan this, Kacchan that. Jealousy and spite boiled in him. "Get him, Nomu."

Neither Izumi nor Bakugo had time to prepare themselves for what happened next. Nomu came sprinting at Bakugo at mach speed, and a blast of wind from a solid impact knocked the group off their feet and had Izumi's eyes going wild with terror.

"KACCHAN!" Izumi screamed. She quickly got to her feet to rush back to the point of impact, but felt Todoroki and Kirishima grab hold of her to keep her back. "No what have you done!? KACCHAN!"

"Midoriya calm down." Todoroki rubbed her shoulder and turned her back. Izumi whirled to scream at him but saw Bakugo laying on his rump next to them.

"Kacchan? Y-You dodged that!? She felt her knees go weak and tears flood her eyes.

"No, you idiot." Bakugo glared feeling a bit put off that he hadn't seen a damn thing.

"Do you not know how to hold back" All Might coughed from where Nomu had knocked him away. In his mind All Might let out a quick sigh of relief. He'd knocked young Bakugo out of the way just in the nick of time. Still there was so much power behind that blow, if he had been a second later...

"Do you not know how to hold back?" He snarled, enraged that the monster hadn't held back an ounce of strength against a kid.

"It was to save my comrade. I had no choice." Tomura said in a rational tone and turned his eyes to Izumi. "I mean, that little whore over there stabbed me twice to protect her teacher. Violence for the sake of others is justified right?"

"I'd hardly call my actions justified." Izumi called out in response before All Might could answer. "I was pissed off. Not very heroic I'd admit." She clenched her hands at her sides. "Guess we both still have a lot to learn."

"Humph…" Tomura scratched his neck. He didn't like the way she was looking at him now. The anger she spoke of had long melted away, and were replaced by looks of pity. He wanted her face to contort again, he wanted to see her fear, and weakness. "Annoying little whore aren't you?"

Izumi flinched at that and resisted the urge to step away. The burn of his eyes was making her want to cower back, but her determination to keep him safe was making her press on.

"Maybe I am… but the fact that I'm annoying you must mean it's true." She lifted her head. "Your actions are not justified. You're doing what you want, and that's that. In the end that line of thinking is gonna get you arrested, or killed."

"Only one is going to die today…' he pointed a finger at All Might. "Just what do you plan to do to stop me?"

"It's three against five." Todoroki said suddenly and caught izumi's attention. She glanced over at him and got his solid nod.

"The Warp's weakness is exposed," Kirishima added hardening up his hands. "With All Might handling the big guy we should be able to offer up good support."

"No!" All Might called out stepping up into the fray and motioning Izumi and the lot back. "You lot run to safety."

"If I hadn't done anything you would have died earlier." Todoroki argued, but met with resistance.

"For that I thank you, but this is different." He held out a fist as if to wind back a punch. "Watch as a Pro gives it everything he's got."

"Everything?" Izumi jolted. She saw All Might give them a thumbs up and panic began to bubble again. Just how much power had All Might been holding back before?

"Kurogiri, Nomu, take him out." Tomura turned to the group. "I'm getting my girl back." He rushed forward holding his hand out in attack position. Izumi snapped her legs to attention and held out her hands ready to deflect his touch.

Their eyes locked, and she could feel the boys crowd around her ready to defend… but they never got the chance to release their quirks. A huge gust of wind kicked up knocking Izumi off her feet and back, and Tomura up into the air. The wind was the result of the shockwave from Nomu and All Might's fists and powers connecting.

Picking herself up off the ground Izumi could only stare in absolute awe as The Number One hero battled against Nomu the way wars were fought; artillery against artillery. Power met power, strength against strength... The cracks of their fists connecting were so loud that Izumi felt her eardrums starting to pop.

Nomu would lose, she realized. Nomu matched All Might in strength and power, and his quirks made him solid enough to resist him… but All Might had something extra. She had watched this man, this hero fight the good fight since she was in diapers. Nothing could have compared to seeing him live and in person facing up against an uphill battle and coming out on top. She was twisted up with euphoria not sure whether she wanted to shout for joy or throw up from all the excitement. With every battle he faced he always brought a sense of spirit and purpose. He was there to stop villains, he was there to cease crime and keep the peace.

Nothing could beat him. Nothing could stop his unbeatable power and drive. He was King… no one reigned above him. With the final punch he sent Nomu sailing through the roof of USJ, until he was no more than a dot in the sky.

"I really have gotten weaker." All Might laughed as he relaxed from attack mode. "In my hay day that would have only taken five or so hits… but now it's more like 300."

"Weaker? Are you kidding me?" Izumi hadn't realized she'd stopped breathing until she began to feel light headed. She fell to her knees, her legs finally giving out on her. It was over. Tomura couldn't win, he had nailed his own coffin by challenging All Might.

"Midoriya?" Todoroki, having been a bit awestruck himself knelt down to rub at her shoulders. "Are you alright?"

"No… Let it end… please just let this be the end. I can't take it anymore." She whimpered. Where the hell were the other pros? Why the hell had this been dragged out for so long? She just wanted this nightmarish tug of war on her heart to end.

"What's wrong, villains? Are you not coming?" All Might taunted, the smoke and dust kicked up from his battle giving his already intimidating form an added boost.

"We should get out of here…" Kirishima told them. "All Might's got this handled. We should get out of here before we get caught up as hostages or something."

"Kirishima's right, Usagi." He tried hauling her up by her arm but Izumi couldn't stand. "Oi, Usagi?"

"What's wrong with her?" Todoroki waved a hand in front of her face but Izumi just stare straight ahead. "She's gone completely catatonic."

"I told you it's just a facade." Bakugo looked out at the villains. "That one villain has been eyeing her from the beginning. She's probably completely freaked out."

Bakugo wasn't far off. Izumi was freaked out, but not for the reason he believed. All Might should have finished this off already. He'd taken down Nomu, and all that was left were Tomura and Kurogiri. Neither of them could see his fast movements, neither of them were as strong or capable as Nomu… so why was he stalling?

"Just let it end…" she whispered hoarsely. Behind her the lackey villains started collecting themselves and the boys righted up ready to fight. "Please I just want this to be over." Tears fell down her face.

"Well what's wrong!?" All Might taunted again, more intimidatingly this time.

Shut up you idiot! Izumi thought with her eyes wide. Stop egging them on. Don't give them anymore ideas. Either take them out or let them run. Either way just let it be over.

"Calm yourself, Shigaraki." Kurogiri hushed trying to calm the neurotic teen. "It isn't over. All Might is wounded, our allies are waking up and keeping the students occupied. If we work together them I'm sure we can beat him."

Izumi saw the interaction, saw Tomura calm down from his tirade and lower his hands to his side. No…. don't do it… don't do it you fools! Izumi looked between them and All Might, her mind whirling and emotions going haywire.

"No more…" She whispered. Her quirk spun out of control, lashing out like tentacles around her body. "No More…" She heard the running footsteps of her boyfriend, the high pitched laugh of his rampage. He was ready to release all his anger and frustration out on the symbol of peace. "I can't take it anymore… JUST LET IT END!"

Izumi's hands shot out, and before she knew what she was doing she had All Might wrapped up in her energy and lifting him high above the ground and out of reach of Tomura. Both the assailants stopped dead to eye her and she looked back at them with crazed eyes. She'd had enough.

"Just let it end! Face it you fools you've lost!" She got to her feet keeping her hands raised as she brought All Might, who apparently was too confused and shocked to move at all from her grasp.

"You little…" Tomura started but Izumi's eyes found his and stopped him dead once again.

"Your anti symbol was sent into the stratosphere, your so called allies are being knocked around by a punch of adolescent students, the rest of the UA pros will be here in a matter of moments and you honestly think you can take on the most powerful hero in the world?" She laughed psychotically. "You're worse than fools, you're morons!"

"Young Midoriya…" All Might whispered using all his will power not to shrink back into his weak form. He wasn't sure what had tipped her off that he'd been bluffing… but she certainly was better at it than he was.

"Leave…" She told them, face pale and stricken but she managed a shaky smile. "Just leave now… I won't stop you. Please."

Tomura stare at Izumi's pleading face… he words hadn't swayed him… but those weepy pleading eyes of hers were. They weren't done, not by a long shot.

"Kurogiri…"

"Yes, Tomura?"

"I'm tired of playing." He turned his back to Izumi and All Might. "Let's go home."

**~UA infirmary~**

Hours later after the police and news reporters had gone Izumi lay in bed, her ribs bandaged and she could still hear the wheezing of her own breath. She hadn't moved since recovery girl had told her to lie down. She didn't have the energy or will to do anything but stare at the ceiling.

What had she done?

She was straddling the line of hero hood and villainy. She knew sooner or later she'd tip to one side, but which side would favor her?

She wanted to be a hero… wanted to help people, save people, make a difference and change the world so everyone would be happy.

Tomura wanted to destroy it.

He was a broken man, consumed by his hatred of heroes and All Might in particular he put himself in a predicament he couldn't walk away from. All Might now knew his face, her classmates knew his face… and if they were seen together, if the school found out that she'd conspired with him to find All Might's weakness… that would be the end of her dream.

"How stupid and selfish can you be?" She covered her face with her hands. "Sensei… why did you let him do it? Why?!" She curled up and couldn't stop the sobbing. The door opened and she tried to quiet her crying but struggled to. She kept her back to the person who walked in and fisted her hand in the sheets.

"Are you alright, Young Midoriya?'

"Why does everyone keep asking me that?" Her voice cracked and she wiped at the tears. "Obviously I'm not fine. Villains attacked our class, you and two other teachers were badly injured. My classmates could have gotten killed and I…" She whimpered and held her face. "I let the bad guys get away."

"No… it's not your fault." He soothed. He must've been pretty injured cuz even his voice sounded off. "You stopped the villains from attacking me. You put yourself at risk to protect me and your friends. You did well, Young Midoriya, and I owe you my thanks… I owe you my life."

"Tch, now you're just being condescending…" She sat up, still keeping her back to him by sitting on the edge and holding her waist. "You're All Might… you would have fought and won as always. You proved that by taking on that monster that was designed to kill you and sending it into space."

"You're wrong… if the villains had attacked me, I wouldn't have had anything left to defend myself." He touched her shoulder. "Look at me, Midoriya. See the truth for yourself."

She bit her lip nearly to the point where it bled. With temper she whirled her head back… and her eyes went wide with disbelief at what she saw. Who the hell was this skeleton of a man?

"This is my true form." He told her. "Almost six years ago I fought off a villain who managed to punch a hole in my stomach. Thanks to that I can only stay in my bulk form for a brief period of time." He gingerly lifted his shirt to show the bandages… but she could also see the stitching and bruises from a previous injury. "When that Nomu took hold of me, he grabbed my weak spot. That doesn't account for all the other wounds he managed to inflict on me. I was losing strength fast, and it was taking all my willpower not to shrink in front of those villains. When they started moving I thought I was done for…"

He turned his eyes on her, Izumi now kneeling on the bed trying to get a closer look at what he was showing her. She eyed this man up and down with a mix of shock, disbelief, and wonder.

"You wrapped me in your quirk, pulled me away from harm and beefed up my bluff. You have such a passion and adrenaline for one so young and it inspires me."

"I… you…" Izumi swallowed hard and sat back on her haunches. "I don't know what to say."

"In times like this, it's okay to say nothing and just listen. You saved me. You've earned my thanks, my respect… and my trust." He placed a hand on her head gently rubbing the curls. "I imagine if your quirkless friend had half the passion and bravery you do… she would have made an amazing hero."

Izumi's eyes went wide and the tears spilled out one by one as her heart broke open and all her emotions flooded out. Her quirk flowed out of her, the room seemed to float as her emotional energy flooded it.

"There you are…" He knelt in front of her and wiped her tears. "Since coming to UA I couldn't help but feel like you were hiding your true self under this bravado you concocted. Makes me feel like I'm looking in a mirror." He half teased and held the crying child to his chest letting her tears soak through his shirt. "The smile and muscles are what the world see… but inside I feel just the way I am now. Heroes need to be strong to give the world peace of mind… but it's nice having someone to show this weaker side to, doesn't it?"

Izumi couldn't help herself. She hugged this man whom she'd once idolized and betrayed.

"I don't wanna do this anymore, All Might." She cried into his shoulder. "I don't wanna lie anymore! I don't wanna hurt you, or the teachers, or my friends to get what I want."

"What makes you think you need to do any of those things to get what you want?" He pulled back and rubbed a thumb over her cheek to brush away tears.

"I need to change the world. The only way to do that is with power… but I'm not a powerful person, All Might. I'm weak… I've spent all this time trying to be strong, trying to be something I'm not!" She looked at him pleadingly, her eyes full of panic and fear. "I don't know what to do."

"It sounds to me as if you've been trying to fit the image someone else expects of you. You should just be yourself." He told her. "You have beliefs, goals, and morals. Follow those and you'll never have any regrets." He let her go, standing up straight. "If you follow someone else's example you're just letting them control you."

"Control?" Something about what he said had the tears drying up fast. She looked at her hands, saw the scars from the knicks, scrapes, and broken bones from her months of training. Was she being controlled? Her sensei had told her that he would give her what she wanted, that he was there for her.

… but that wasn't entirely true, was it?

He'd trained her the way he would train one of his villains. He'd fine tuned her head and her heart to make her follow his wants and needs to the point she actually believed she was doing what she wanted.

...but everything changed when Tomura broke into USJ with a horde of villains.

Now that the initial panic and haze cleared from her mind she could see it all so clearly now. Sensei had indulged Tomura's dark fantasies, fulfilling his desperate need for vengeance against All Might and Heroes in general. It was his way of controlling his chaotic mind, making Tomura believe that he called the shots.

In some way he'd done the same for her. He fed her need for power. Gave her a powerful quirk, trained her mind and body so she could properly utilize it. He even boosted her ego by telling her she was the future of all heroes… and she stupidly believed in that purpose. He had so graciously provided her and Tomura with everything they wanted… and in turn made them both his pawns he could use to accomplish his goal.

That Goal, she quickly realized, was the destruction of All Might.

When push came to shove, no matter how she felt about Tomura she wouldn't have let him kill All Might… and Sensei knew that from the start. It was a win/win for him. If Tomura succeeded, All Might would be dead. If Tomura failed then she gained All Might's trust and confidence.

She was such a fool. This entire time she'd believed she was the one in control of her destiny. She believed she was finally taking control of her life. She had power now… and she loved having power… but what good was it if it meant someone else was holding your leash? What good was strength, and skill when someone else was telling you what to do with it?

Something clicked inside her mind. All the stress and panic from the day fell away and she let out a long breath of relief. She lifted her eyes to All Might and genuinely smiled.

"Thank you, All Might. I feel better."

"You'll feel better yet when we talk again. What I have to say next can wait until we're both fully healed." He pet her hair. "I think you should be good to leave the infirmary. Do you need a ride home?"

"Home..." Izumi closed her eyes when he pet her.

"Young Midoriya?"

"Hmmm? Oh…" she smiled softly and she averted her eyes. "No I'll be alright."

Home… Izumi thought again as she stood up and watched the setting sun… it was time for her to go home.

**~Ask Briry~**

**Briry: Woot! Things have been crazy at work, but I got this chapter done! Yay! We're getting to the good stuff. *rubs hands together grinning* can't wait to show you more!**

**Next Chapter: Break the Leash**


	13. Breaking the Leash

**Midori the Villain:**

**Author's Note: WARNING! Graphic content is imminent! The following chapter contains subjects pertaining to sex, violence, rape, and abuse. Not for the faint of heart! You have been warned!**

**Chapter 13: Breaking the Leash**

The moment Izumi changed and stepped out of the infirmary she came face to face with Todoroki. He held her bag out to her with one hand, his stoic face not changing expression.

"Todoroki-kun…" she took the bag. "You waited for me? Why?"

"I'd like to talk to you, if that's alright." He put his hands in his pockets. "I know its late, but I can walk you to the train station at least, and speak my mind."

"There seems to be a lot of that going around." She said with a small laugh, thinking of her earlier conversation with All Might. "Alright… we can talk."

"Good." He waited and walked side by side with her down the hall heading out of the school. "How's your wound?"

"Mostly healed, surprisingly. I thought Nomu had cracked at least one, but he'd only managed to bruise them. I should be fully healed by tomorrow with the assist of Recovery Girl's quirk." She rubbed her tender side. "The walk to the station isn't far… so if you have something to say, Todoroki-kun, I suggest you not make small talk."

"You've a point." He looked down at her, staring for a good full minute. She stopped the walk and turned he reyes up to him.

"My face really can't be all that interesting…" she frowned up at him.

"It's not… like I said before you've what others would deem a plain face… but you stick out to me. I told myself when I first came to this school that I wasn't going to get involved with anyone. I wasn't looking to make friends, and I wasn't looking for anything remotely resembling a relationship, but…"

He lifted a hand to her face stroking a thumb over the dusting of freckles.

"For some reason… I can't stop thinking about you." He stepped closer to her, cupping her face in both his hands. "My first thought after that warp guy separated the class was to find you and make sure you were okay."

Izumi felt herself wince and she tried to avert her gaze. She didn't like the sound of that… like she was someone who was meant to be protected.

"I appreciate the thought, but-"

"You don't like that… I get it. I know why you put up a face. You don't want to be seen as a victim, you don't want people to think you're weak and can't handle yourself. That's not what I'm saying, Midoriya."

"Then what are you saying?" frustrated and embarrassed she grabbed his hands trying to pull away from him. "Spit it out."

"I like you…" he said bluntly and he pressed his forehead to hers stepping closer when she stepped back to pull away. "I know you have a boyfriend… but I want to be put into the equation. I want you to consider being with me instead."

"Todoroki-kun…" She pulled on his hands and yanked away from him holding herself. "I'm flattered by your feelings and I'd like to give you what you want, but it's not gonna happen." She hugged herself thinking of Tomura's hurt and betrayed expression. "I'm committed to my boyfriend. Even if he is a little annoyed with me right now, I'm going to see it through to the end."

"Why is he annoyed with you?" Hurt by the sting of her rejection he lowered his head.

"Doesn't matter, it's not your concern." She looked over at him. "I'm sorry that I hurt you, Todoroki-kun. You're a genuinely nice guy and if things were different maybe I'd feel differently." She held her chest. "He needs me, even if he doesn't want to admit it, he needs me."

"What about you?" He lifted his head, his eyes suddenly cold and frightening. "How do you feel about him?"

"I…" she paused and thought about it carefully. She closed her eyes and searched her own feelings. "I'm in love with him… but there's aspects of our relationship that aren't healthy. Our relationship right now is an up and down emotional rollercoaster that can make me feel positively sick… but it also is a huge thrill."

She was right, Todoroki thought with a scowl. That didn't sound healthy to him at all. His fists clenched at his side.

"Why do you love a guy like that?"

"There is no why… it just is." she looked at him with a sad smile. "You can't help who you love, Todoroki-kun." She lifted a hand and stroked his face. "It's late, you should go home. I can make it the rest of the way on my own."

She started walking away, her form starting to disappear in the darkness of the evening.

"Midoriya!"

She paused at his voice and she turned around to meet Todoroki's sorrowful expression.

"Be happy."

The simplicity of his words both surprised and touched her. Her face brightened as a genuine smile spread over her lips and she flashed pearly white teeth.

"Mmmm I plan to!"

**~Roughly an hour later~**

Izumi stood in the center of her burned down apartment looking around at the damage. Despite the accident being months ago the company in charge of the repairs had barely made a dent. All the burned up personal belongings and debris had been cleared out, but there was still a heavy level of charr on every surface. The window of the kitchen was shattered open, the ceiling was repaired but she could make out the outlines of where they'd plastered and refortified it.

"Breaking and Entering is a crime you know." Tomura's voice spoke as he stepped through Kurogiri's warp. She'd expected Kurogiri to reform behind him but the portal closed leaving them alone in the empty space.

"I used to live here." Izumi held up the keys in her hand. "So I technically didn't break in."

"Hmmmph, loop hole." He stepped closer to her and held out his hand to wrap around her neck. He half expected her to use her quirk to protect herself, but she surprisingly let him touch her freely, trusting him to keep the touch clean. "Tell me why I shouldn't kill you right here and now."

"It doesn't matter what I say, you'll just do what you want." She kept her eyes on his, the orbs going teary and soft with affection and hurt. "So go ahead and kill me if that's what you want… but let me get what I have to say out first."

"Make it fast then…" he squeezed a little showing his patience was wearing thin.

"I love you."

"Liar!" He tossed her across the room and she fell and skidded. Her ribs sung with pain from the jerking motion and she wheezed out a breath crawling on her knees. His grip went to her hair and he yanked her upright so she looked at him again. "You're a fucking stupid if you expect me to believe that."

"It's true…" she whimpered and shook even as his grip got tighter. This time she did wrap his hands in her quirk, knowing his control slipped when he lost his temper.

"If you love me then why did you interfere?!" He shook her, her body jerking back and forth. "Why did you stop my plans? Why did you keep me from killing All Might?!"

"KILLING HIM WON'T MAKE ANYTHING BETTER!" She screamed at him, panting as her own emotions spilled out. "Idiot… I know you hate him, I understand why you hate him, but killing him isn't going to make the hate and pain go away. It'll just make it worse. Violence breeds more violence, you said so yourself!"

He jerked back slapping her before he paced the room. His body shook with emotional and anger.

"Then what am I supposed to do? Huh!? All Might is the source of everything I hate about this world! Hope… justice… peace… lies! They're all lies!"

Izumi panted a bit, sweating from the fear and exertion but she came here with a mission and was determined to see it through.

"Is that why you had my mother killed?" She watched his steps halt. "Was the reason you helped Kaito escape from prison all so you could show me just how cruel and dirty the world really is?"

Tomura slowly turned around and his lips quirked.

"Found me out, did you?"

"Wasn't hard…" she admitted and stood up on shaky legs. "I thought Sensei had done it… but all he did was give you the information you needed to see it through. Kurogiri formed the plan, you executed it, and then set Kaito free so he could collect his debt."

"Ah… Master is right, you're brain is your greatest weapon, Karma." he tapped his temple. "He think it's the most dangerous thing about you. I only half agree…" He stepped to her and held out his hand, Izumi flinching back but her back found a wall and she found herself being pinned between it and him.

"Your mind is powerful…" he laughed. "It's not what I fear about you though. I don't fear your mind, or your quirk… I fear this hold you have on me."

"Tomura…" she felt the tears sting her eyes as she watched his face contort between insanity, anger, and pain.

"From the moment I met you I haven't been able to get you out of my head. The only thing I'd been able to think about for years had been the death of All Might, but you changed that so easily." He suddenly went to his knees in front of her. He hugged her to him burying his face in the soft swell of her breasts and breathing her in. "When you're with me I don't care about anything else. All Might doesn't exist, heroes don't exist, the world itself doesn't exist."

Not sure whether to be touched or frightened by the sincerity of his words Izumi could only stay quiet. She strung her fingers through his hair and tears slipped down.

"You're afraid that I would leave you."

"I won't let you…" his grip on her tightened and she winced as her ribs ached from it. "I don't care if I have to kill everyone else in this world to keep you. You're MINE!"

He pulled her down and pinned her by her wrists his body pressed intimately between her legs. Izumi gasped and stare up flushed and quivering.

"When you look at me like this…" he bent his head down rubbing his chapped lips over hers laughing. "It makes me feel so powerful and frightened at the same time. I don't want you to run from me… and yet I want you to fear me. I want you to be just as afraid and as helpless as I feel."

He released one of her wrists so he could rip open the front of her shirt. He yanked up the bra so her breasts spilled out and he filled his palm with one sighing happily at the heat of her skin, and the rapid beat of her heart pulsing against it.

"You're not resisting today…" he licked his lips. "Have you accepted your fate, Karma?"

Tears spilled down Izumi's cheeks but she nodded and managed a smile. She was already in too deep. She couldn't back away now. Just like she had a hold of him, he had a hold on her. She couldn't run from it, couldn't escape it… so yes she'd accept it.

"Take what's yours, Tomura. I won't run away from you." To prove it she used her quirk to unzip his pants for him, and she spread her legs willingly for him. With a quirk flick of his wrist the remaining barrier separating them was removed, and Tomura filled her up with one forceful shove.

Izumi gave a quick cry of pain and hurriedly covered her mouth with one hand. Her eyes shut tight, her breath muffling behind the palm when he began to move. She slowly cracked an eye open, watching his face change expression.

There was a glee there, a thrill that he couldn't suppress at watching her pain… but in his eyes, those wild eyes she saw the fear still… and the hidden sadness he was trying so hard to suppress. This man she loved was so broken inside, and it wasn't even his own fault. He'd been desperate for affection, desperate for guidance and had fallen into the wrong hands.

It became more and more clear to her, even as Tomura took her body, and branded his touch into her skin that he was as much a victim as those he terrorized. He needed help, he needed guidance…

...he needed her.

"Tomura…" she pulled her hand away to breathe his name. She moaned and moved with him now, her arms and legs hooking around him. Her mouth latched to his and she kissed him lovingly, passionately. She wanted to show him how she felt, that her words of love and devotion weren't a facade, they weren't a lie. It was all real.

"Karma…" he groaned her name.

"No…" she panted on his lips and nipped the bottom one. "Izumi."

"Izumi…" he said the name like a prayer. Their bodies shifted, he now sat on the ground with Izumi straddling over him her hands cupping his face as she looked at him with love in her eyes. Something stirred and all the malice and hate disappeared and was replaced by something he couldn't describe. "Izumi!"

"I'm yours…" she panted and rode him strong and hard. The pain she'd felt subsiding into a pleasure she'd only read in books and on the internet. Her eyes fluttered and head tossed back as she rode that wave and into bliss. "...and you're mine!"

They came together, clinging to each other for warmth and comfort from the emotional day. She felt him lay his head limply on the soft swell of her breast and she pet him. She felt such an endearing need to stroke and soothe him.

She was his, and he was hers… and she protected what was hers.

"_If you follow someone else's example you're just letting them control you.__"_

No… she was done being controlled, and she wasn't going to stand by and let Sensei control Tomura either.

"Tomura…"

"Mmm?" He groaned and nuzzled in making her heart soar. "What?"

"I need to run an errand before I go home…" She kissed his temple and pulled his head back so she can look in his eyes. The sweet affectionate look was replaced by one of determination and calculation. He must have liked the look because she felt him harden inside her again. "After we have another round… can you take me someplace?"

**~Sometime Later~**

"I'm home…" Izumi walked in the door, her ribs still aching but she felt calm and elated. She saw All for One sitting at the table, sipping at a glass of wine with the chess board set up in front of him.

"Ah, Izumi… you're finally back."

"Yes. today's events put me in quite a predicament. I spent the last several hours reconciling with Tomura." She admitted and set down her bag. "I gotta say though, your gamble paid off."

"My gamble?" He tilted his head in her direction. Izumi leaned down kissing his cheek.

"Mmmmm, don't play dumb. You taught me too well." She laughed, and walked around the table to sit. She flipped the board around so that she was facing the black pieces. "Would you mind being white this time?"

"Not at all." Amused by her, he scooted closer to the table. "On occasion I like being the one to go first." To prove it he slid his piece forward. Izumi moved next, using her quirk to shift the piece rather than with her fingers. "Plus it would help to teach you defensive strategies… so how exactly did my gamble pay off?"

"You sent Tomura in there with intent to kill." She focused her quirk on her knight and shifted it into position. "Knowing it would test my loyalties, and my ability to keep a cool head. On top of that you knew that my sensibilities about not killing would push me to protect All Might rather than joining Tomura to kill him. With this I earned his trust and was able to get close to him."

All for One sipped his wine sighing happily at this.

"So you've fulfilled your duty and learned of his weakness?"

"I have…" she took his bishop and floated it into her palm to admire it. "I gotta say… it's pretty ballsy having me find out the truth."

"The truth?" He played done and she clucked her tongue in response.

"You say you admire my smarts, but you really do treat me like I'm stupid." She knocked down his rook, saw the surprise when he hadn't noticed the move coming. "You're the one who put the hole in his stomach. You already knew All Might had gotten weaker. You want to expose his bluff to the world, show what you reduced him to… and you're using me to do it."

"You really are too smart for your own good." He coughed and adjusted his tie a little. He buzzed for the doctor before making his next move. Izumi's smile spread a little.

"My mind is my greatest weapon, truer words were never spoken. I'm tired of you using it as your plaything." She watched him take another gulp of wine and his finger shakily pressed the button again. "It's your turn."

"I'm aware…" he wheezed and shoved a piece forward hastily and rubbed his throat. "Why don't we call it quits? I'm not feeling up to playing with you right now."

"Too much wine?" She said coyly, and All for One's blood went cold as realization struck him.

"When did you…"

"Well… you were so focused on our little mind game I couldn't help but take advantage of it…" she lifted up the vial with her quirk and set it in his hand. "It's amazing the kind of things you can find on the black market with the right allowance. You really do spoil me too much. "

"Tomura told you where the black market is?" He laughed. "I'm surprised he didn't tell me about your little venture there. Unlike you he's loyal to me!" He wheezed and stabbed the button over and over. The doctor would have a cure, he was sure. What the hell was taking the asshoe so long?

"Don't bother sending for the doctor, he's dead too." She stood up and walked to the window staring out at the city lights. "I took the gamble and assumed he'd be where the Nomus are kept. Kurogiri was kind enough to send me there." All for One stumbled out of his chair and proceeded to crawl towards her. "Don't even bother trying to attack me. You can't use your quirk because the poison is currently shutting down your body. You can't walk, can't move… and soon you won't even be able to breathe."

"You little fool…" he wheezed and gasped for breath. "I gave you everything you ever wanted." He seethed and reached a hand out to her. "This is how you repay me?"

"You taught me so much, gave me everything I have, and for that I'm grateful to you." She turned sideways to look down at him "I bear you no personal ill will… but I must live up to my name. You've done horrible unspeakable things. You greatly injured the symbol of peace, made him unable to serve the world he'd sworn to protect to his fullest capability. As a result, you helped make society what it is today, and turned an innocent boy against the heroes who failed to save him by warping his mind and feeding his hatred."

She could feel her own temper start to rise as she thought of Tomura at USJ: hungry for revenge, unable to think clearly, forced under such immense stress. It was a wonder that he hadn't gotten himself killed. For that alone she'd never forgive this man.

"You used, warped, and manipulated those you call students into doing your bidding. You took all that was precious to us and made us rely on you, made us believe that we needed you to survive. It's only fitting that your student is the cause of your demise." All for One's face was going purple and he began to drool, the grotesque sight should have made her queasy or at least uncomfortable… but she felt so calm. "Thank you, for all that you've done for me, Sensei. I promise I'll put your lessons to good use."

"No… please Karma… save me, my hero." He gripped her ankle with the last bit of his strength.

"I'm sorry Sensei," Izumi crooned with a wicked gleam in her eyes. "Karma isn't the name of a hero." The grip on her ankle fell limp and the heart monitor that had been rapidly increasing little by little now flatlined and she let the smile form around her lips.

"And so his reign ends… and another begins." She stepped over to the chess board and picked up her queen. She admired the piece with great affection before gingerly setting it down to knock over his king. "Checkmate."

_**~Ask Briry~**_

_**Briry: Oooh look what you made me do, look what you made me do… I've got that song stuck in my head now. This chapter is short in comparison to some of the others, but it felt weird cutting it off anywhere else. I hope you guys enjoyed the twist and are looking forward to more! **_

_**Next Chapter: A new Izumi, a new League**_


	14. A New League, A New Izumi

**Midori The Villain**

**Chapter 14: A New Izumi, A New League**

Ever since she was a child Izumi wanted to save people, but she found out that some just couldn't be saved. For the first time in her life she killed two people… and it didn't faze her one bit. She expected it to haunt her, she expected the sight of their dead bodies or the visions of their deaths to make her feel guilty or remorseful… but it didn't. Instead she felt at ease, calm, and ready for the next step. She may have been a little hasty in killing the doctor who had been working on the Nomus to provide them with muscle, but she knew the man's loyalties lie with Sensei.

She was doubly sure of her choice to kill him when she started going through the doctor's files. She found the notes, pictures, and videos of the many experiments he'd done over the years. The twisted was he used his power made Izumi all the more glad that she'd rid the world of his psychotic mind and greedy benefactor.

The few Nomus that were left were under her control now, and she'd use them. It might be more merciful to just destroy them, but Izumi wanted to use their power for more justifiable purposes. Plus now that she'd eliminated the league's two major allies they were gonna need to beef up their ranks. Until that happened the Nomus were needed. So she'd keep them in reserve until she could figure out how to best utilize them.

She was glad Tomura and Kurogiri were on her side. Tomura had been pissed off at first, but when she explained to him what he had done, how Sensei had purposely put them at odds, and used their needs and wants to leash them he backed down.

"I know you thought he was on your side, Tomura. Believe me I was just as shocked and betrayed when I figured it out." She ran fingers through his hair. "We have to move on."

"How? Sensei was the one with all the contacts, all the information, all the money." He pound his fist on top of the bar. "Who's going to support us?"

"I am." She smiled. "The police believed my guardian died of a heart attack, and given his condition they didn't question it. Once my emancipation papers are filed, all the money, all the properties, and all the benefits he had under that given name will legally be mine. Turns out it's quite a lofty sum, and that's probably not the only name he's used. I'm gonna take some time to go through all the records in the base and his office and find out everything I can."

"Fine…" Tomura scratched his nail on the counter his eyes glaring down at the scratch marks he created. "So what now? I can't kill All Might, Sensei is gone… what the hell do we do from here?"

"An accurate question, Tomura." Kurogiri agreed and turned his attention to Izumi. "We aligned with you because you said you're on our side. You said you would help us. So how do we go about completing our objective if our morals clash?"

"We don't have to kill All Might to destroy him." Izumi pointed out. "Between the three of us, All Might is weakening. He won't be able to keep on winning forever, and he knows it." She stood up and walked to the chess board she'd set up on one of the tables. She sat down and scanned the board with an attentive expression. "He'll be looking for someone to become the next symbol of peace. I think that's why he's teaching at UA. He's looking for his successor."

"Someone from your class?" Tomura questioned. "Those brats?"

"I don't know… If I had to choose someone I thought was probably up to he task I'd say Todoroki is closest. He's the son of Endeavor who is the #2 hero, and his quirk, skills, and athletics are top of the class. Still…" She rubbed her chin frowning. "He may go for someone in the higher grades, someone with more experience and training. It's hard to tell, but I plan to stay in UA so I can keep my eye on him."

"Which reminds me. We never told you, but there's a second spy inside UA who has also been reporting to us." Kurogiri admitted.

"I know…" Izumi lounged back. "Or should I say I figured as much as you guys were able to sneak on campus to grab the plans for the USJ attack. This spy is unaware of my involvement, right?" When she got a confirmed nod she tapped her fingers together. "Then there's no need for him to know. Any further contact with him will be done anonymously through email. Whatever information he gives me I'll find a way to use."

"That's one problem solved. What about our healing situation? The only person we had with any kind of medical background is dead."

"I'm already working on that…" She smiled coyly. "I did a little digging through the doctor's files. He has a colleague who sent him an email a few days ago. He asked if there was a private facility he could use in order to run some… delicate operations. I did some digging and the colleague in question has a quirk known as surgeon touch. He can cut, and stitch people together, and even perform complicated surgical procedures like plastic surgery or bypasses without ever having to cut them open."

"That sounds like a powerful quirk. Why would someone of his caliber help us?" Kurogiri questioned.

"It is powerful, and he's used it to save many lives... but it has a weakness. He can't cure diseases. His wife and daughter were both diagnosed with a virus that attacks the body's immune system. He begged and pleaded with the board at his hospital to provide him with the resources he'd need to find a cure, but they turned him down due to inadequate funding. If he aligns with us, I'm going to offer up the facility he needs as well as the money required to support his research."

"Careful Karma… your hero side is showing." Tomura laughed at her and made her smile.

"Karma isn't always bad, Tomura…" Izumi pointed out. "I punish only those that deserve it, but I also do favors and gifts for those I think have earned it. This doctor has saved countless lives with his quirk. I'm merely giving him the same courtesy he deserves by helping him save those he loves."

"Your innocent side really makes me sick at times." He stood up and walked to her holding her chin. "So you got us a healer, but what good will that do us if we don't fight?"

"Who says we won't? This is only the beginning." She motioned him to sit across from her and she motioned to the pieces on the board. "We're starting a whole new game… but even with our new ally we don't have enough pieces. We'll need to rally others to our cause." She held up the King admiring it. "In order to do that we need a figurehead. The world has been made aware of the league's existence but as far as they know we're just a bunch of maniacs looking to stir up trouble."

"Ah I see…" Kurogiri saw where this was going. "So you're suggesting we change their perspective of us in order to gather allies. How should we do it?"

"Have you guys heard of the Hero Killer Stain?" She set the King down and started to mentally form a picture of how she wanted things to go.

"Yes, he's been travelling city to city killing injuring or killing heroes. He'd kill at least one and injure others so that the survivors could pass on his word." Kurogiri filled in.

"His word?" Tomura, more out of boredom then general interest in the game, moved up a pawn. He rarely played, barely knew the rules, but he'd indulge her.

"Yes, his beliefs, his morals, whatever you want to call them." She stood up. "There are two kinds of heroes in the world; True heroes who do what is right for selfless reasons, and false heroes who play at the job for money or glory. He tells everyone he meets that his entire purpose is to eliminate the false heroes. He wants to change this corrupted society that overproduces heroes, and removes the true meaning behind the occupation. I don't believe killing is necessary for such a purpose, but I can't argue with his motives."

"Sounds complicated to me. I'd rather just rid the world of all heroes than compartmentalize them like that. Do you really think others will share this belief?" Tomura snorted. "When we gathered allies before, they were just as selfish and stupid as the heroes."

"The kind of allies you gathered were nothing more than a group of thugs looking for the glory of killing the number one hero." She said with irritation. "I want REAL allies. Raw, talented, and intelligent people hiding in the gray areas. The smart villains stay out of sight, until they find a cause worthy enough to join. If word got out Stain has alliances with us, then we'd no longer just be a simple group of thugs with no plan. We'd be a group of villains with a sense of purpose and morality. A place others could go to for support and purpose."

"You make us sound like a sanctuary." Kurogiri put in with a hint of disapproval.

"Isn't it?" She smirked at him, "When I first joined the group you told me that I wasn't alone. We all found out the truth about the world and had to swallow that bitter pill. I felt strong, capable, and needed knowing that I had others who share that feeling. Knowing I had people I could rely on. If we can get the Hero Killer on our side… then we can do the same to so many others."

"Very well…" Kurogiri nodded in approval. "It's a sound plan, and one that benefits us both in the long run."

"If you say so." Tomura sneered, and moved his next piece only to have Izumi take it. "So we have a plan. What's our first step?"

"Figure out where the Hero killer is." Izumi folded her hands and leaned on them as she examined the board again. "It's faint but he's got a pattern. When we know what city he's in, it'll be easy enough to guess where he'll strike next. Once we track him down I want you to invite him to our abode for a lil heart to heart."

"What'll you do in the meantime?" This from Kurogiri who walked over to eye the game speculatively. He helped Tomura with his next move, taking Izumi's bishop.

"I've got to keep up appearances. School starts back up on Monday, and All Might said he wanted to talk with me after our injuries had healed." Izumi eyed the board and she got a wicked gleam in her eye. "Who knows… he may have something interesting to say." She set her queen in place and gave a sweet smile when both men looked at her dumbfounded. "Checkmate."

**~UA High School: Monday Morning~**

All Might set Izumi's picture on Nezu's desk.

"I've made up my mind."

"Izumi Midoriya…" Nezu picked up the picture staring at the girl. "She's not the one I would have chosen for you. She seems a bit too unpredictable from the information I have."

"Young Mirio is a strong and capable hero all on his own." All Might thumped a fist on his chest. "Izumi has potential, and though she is rough around the edges I believe she is the right choice."

"She's had a very traumatic year." Nezu pointed out leaning on his hands. "Her mother's death, the USJ attack, and I've heard the guardian who had been caring for her died of a heart attack from the news."

"She's been orphaned again?" All Might's face twisted up with sympathy. "Poor child…"

"Not so poor… the guardian was apparently a wealthy benefactor. Has stock and interest in many business all of which he's left to his one and only daughter. Curious don't you think?"

"You don't honestly believe Izumi had something to do with his death?" All Might looked stricken at this news. "She's just a child."

"Even a child is capable of cruel things, All Might. Still… I too find it hard to believe that she'd be capable of it. I'm willing to give her the benefit of the doubt… provided she passes a small test."

"A test?" All Might blinked.

"Yes… bring her to the teacher's lounge during lunch break. In the end it's your choice whether you want to trust her with your power or not. Still if she wants my trust, she'll need to earn it." He pushed the picture across the table.

"Mmm I do want you approval for this. So I shall bring Young Midoriya as you ask."

"Very good, I will see you both at lunch time then."

**~UA Classroom~**

She cut her hair.

After freeing herself from the leash that held her back, she had wanted a physical change to mark the occasion. She may have initially cried and blubbered over the fact, but something about shedding roughly a pound of fluff just felt liberating.

She had to get it styled as her own quick cut had turned out disastrously, but she liked the final product. The initial length of her hair had been nearly to the middle of her back, but she found a happy medium where it was short enough for a more edgy look, but girly enough to make her feel sweet and feminine when she had the desire to.

Still… she hadn't expected the outlash at the sudden change.

"Midoriya! Your poor hair! Sweetie why did you cut it?" Momo fussed and played with the curls making her brow twitch. "Oh my god did your boyfriend dump you?"

"No, Yao, and even if he did I wouldn't be so dramatic about it." she waved the girl off and shook back the curls. "I just wanted a change. After the villain attack I realized my hair was practically a rope for villains to grab hold of. I'm limiting their access to it."

"Still it's so short…" Uraraka fussed as well trying not to cry. "You had such beautiful curly hair, it seems like such a waste."

"Does it look bad?" Izumi asked with a sad expression.

"No!" Uraraka quickly corrected waving her hands and then pumping her fists. "It looks really cute on you!"

"Thanks," she offered a sweet smile which made her entire person light up. The girls all made sounds of admiration and cuddled around her.

"What the hell are you all doing here?!" Bakugo sneered. "Get lost you hens!" He sneered as the girls parted and his temple throbbed as he got his first real look at Izumi. "The hell did you do to your hair?"

"I cut it, sherlock…" She twirled a curl around her finger and fluttered her eyeslashes at him. "Like it?"

"I hate it. You looked just fine before." He scrunched up the curls making her squirm and grunt. "It doesn't matter if you cut your hair, dye it black, get tattoos and piercings… you're always going to be Usagi so stop trying to change!"

"Owowow! DAMN IT!" She jerked up pushing Bakugo off her and shaking her fist at him. "That hurts! Just for that I'm going to go get three piercings in my ear just to spit you!"

"HA!?" Bakugo bumped foreheads with her. "I just told you to stop changing!"

"Why the hell should I listen to you?!" She countered back, the two of them arguing back and forth with the rest of the class watching in amusement. Todoroki walked in just as Bakugo had Izumi in a headlock and was grinding his knuckles in her head. Iida was shouting at him to let her go telling him that's not how he should treat a girl.

"Don't get all high and mighty on me, you robot. I'll fucking kill you!"

"What's going on?" Todoroki asked Uraraka who had decided to take her seat.

"The usual battle of the sexes…" Uraraka laughed. "Iida's trying to break them up and get them back in their seats."

"I see…" He lifted his eyes to Izumi who had squirmed her way out of the hold and was now yanking on Bakugo's jacket trying to make him sit down but to little avail. He noticed the haircut right away, and something inside him twisted.

Due to all the rough housing, all her curls just fluffed everywhere accentuating her soft cute face. Her annoyed expression came off as charming and adorable, and his feelings for her just highlighted that.

"Todoroki-kun? Oi! Todoroki!" Uraraka waved a hand in front of his face and had him snapping back to reality.

"Hmmm? What?"

"Oh ho ho…" Ashido saw the dazed expression and her lips curled mischievously. "Could it be our resident stud has a crush on Midoriya?"

"A crush?" He blinked at the expression and held his chin. "Is that what this is? How would you define a crush?"

"Seriously dude?" This from Kaminari who had overheard. "You don't know what a crush is?"

"Is it some kind of attack?" He punched his fist into his palm as if to demonstrate. Uraraka spit laughed holding her mouth to control the giggle fits.

"No silly… a crush is where you have strong feelings for another person." Ashido corrected. "You know, heart racing, face flushing, head spinning sort of feeling. You get jealous of seeing them with another person, and your heart aches because you just want to be with them." Ashido sighed and little hearts danced around her head.

"Mina-chan, you're describing love, not a crush. A crush is more like an attachment, something you can get over real quickly. Love is a lot stronger than that." Tsuyu put in and had Todoroki's eyes widening slightly.

"Love?" He whispered and his eyes went back to Midoriya who finally sat down and was conversing with Tohru, Ojiro, and a few others about the USJ attack. Tohru made a comment that had Izumi laughing and his heart beat loudly in his chest making it ache. He was in love with Midoriya.

"_Be Happy." _

He recalled saying those words to her, and watching her face change so quickly from stricken to bright in a matter of moments.

"_Mmmm I plan to."_

Damn it… he felt his breath catching and had an urge to hold his chest where it hurt. He wanted to know who held Midoriya's heart. He wanted to know just what kind of person she committed herself to, and made her reject him.

"In your seat, Todoroki." Aizawa walked in and narrowed his eyes at the one guy who wasn't in his seat. "Class is starting and we have a lot to discuss."

The news of the upcoming Sports Festival had caught everyone's excitement. Even Uraraka was pumped up and it was refreshing for Izumi to see the little bubble personality turn bad ass with competition.

With curiosity getting the better of her Izumi spent the first few minutes of lunch taking with Iida and Uraraka, getting to know them and their motives for joining the hero course. She liked them both, and while she found Uraraka's motivations surprising, she saw the good intention and slid her into the "true hero" category.

Her other classmates were hit and miss. Students like Mineta, Aoyama, and of course Bakugo who seemed to strive from personal motives were definitely in the "not so heroic" category. Still she had hope that with some tweaking, and proper motivation that they would come to change and see. The best thing about being a student is learning. All of them needed to learn what a "true hero" was and how to strive for it.

"Little Midori is here!" All Might shouted gaining her quick attention. "Come have lunch with me." He held up his bento. "The principle and I want to have a word with you."

"Eh?" Izumi's eyes blinked in surprise. "The principle?"

"Yes, come along." He motioned her over and waved to Iida and Uraraka before escorting her away.

**~Teacher's Lounge~**

"Ah Miss Midoriya!" Nezu waved from the couch. "Welcome, please have a seat. All Might come sit beside me." He pat the spot on the couch and proceeded to make some tea for all of them. "Thank you for coming to see me during your break, Miss Midoriya."

"You can call me Izumi, and it's quite alright, Principle Nezu." She sat down across from them as instructed. "Can I ask what this is about? Thank you." She bowed her head graciously when he set the cup of tea in her hands.

"We've heard about the trouble you've been through, Izumi." Nezu went on returning to his seat on the couch. "Here at UA we're very concerned for the safety and well being of our students. I arranged this little meeting so I can talk to you, and make sure you're alright."

A talk? More like an interrogation. Izumi had figured she'd be dealing with as much. She'd avoided long thorough investigations with the police and insurance companies by complying and offering up the necessary information they asked for. It helped that her Sensei had such a thorough fake background arranged, just in case he ever found himself tangled in such an investigation. Since she was an alumni at the school she fully expected the heroes to poke their noses in, and had thoroughly prepared herself for any questions they might have for her.

"By trouble, you mean the death of my mother and guardian, and the attack on USJ?" She folded her hands neatly in her lap. She would not be caught in a lie. She would answer all his questions honestly, or as best as she could. Any minor slip could get her expelled… or worse arrested.

"Yes," Nezu saw the look in the girl's eyes, the determined and nearly frightened expression. "How do you feel, Miss Midoriya?"

"Feel?" The question caught her a bit off guard but she answered almost instantly. "A little sick, a little tired… and all kinds of relieved."

"Relieved?" This from All Might who genuinely looked perplexed.

"It's hard to describe, All Might." She folded her hands in her lap. "My life has been a mess as of late and I couldn't even begin to tell you all that's going through my mind right now." She shut her eyes and let out a soft sigh. "I want to believe things will get easier from here on out… but life is unpredictable."

"I can understand that… so then why do you feel relieved?" He pressed on.

"Because no matter what sort of messes I may get into from here on out…" she opened her eyes and genuinely smiled at him. "They're mine to make, and mine to clean up. I'm taking control of my chaotic life, and not leaving it in anybody else's hands but my own."

"I see…" Nezu nodded his head in approval. "So that's why you applied for emancipation?"

"Yes…" She held her chest. "I can tell you this honestly, Principle Nezu, because I know it's something you and the other's who've asked me are curious about. I don't care about the money. The only reason I'm accepting it is because I'm not stupid. I'm only 15, I'm still a student, I don't have a job, and I've no close relatives I can depend on for financial support. I don't have time to waste on be shifted from one foster care home to another. I have a goal, and I need to stay enrolled here at UA in order for it to come to fruition. So that's why I'm taking charge of my own life, and accepting the gifts that tragedy has left behind."

Nezu stare straight at Izumi. He saw such determination and drive in this young woman that it was inspiring. She spoke honestly, spoke with passion and drive… and yet he couldn't shake the feeling she was hiding something.

"It is a tragedy… for you to lose your mother and guardian in such close proximity to each other. I can't imagine how hard it must have been on you."

Izumi felt herself tense up and she lowered her head mentally cursing. Damn this guy was good. She'd hoped that her honest answer to alleviate any further curiosity… but the guy was reading her like a damn book.

"My mother was the only one I had in this world that I unconditionally loved and cared for. When she died something inside me died as well." She closed her eyes when she felt the tears spring to life. "Shit."

"Let them out, Izumi. It's okay." All Might hushed and walked over patting her shoulders.

"I'm tired of crying over it… I just want to move past it." She lifted her head even as the tears fell. "I told myself I'd get stronger, I told myself I wouldn't be a victim anymore… I don't want to be saved, I want to do the saving."

She thought of Tomura… his twisted pained face the night she gave her innocence to him. He was so twisted up inside, so angry, so hateful… she wanted to make him happy. She wanted to give him closure so he could finally have peace of mind.

"I didn't cry when Sensei died…" she said suddenly catching them and herself both off guard. "The man had given me strength, confidence, everything I needed to take the entrance exam and ensure my spot here. I thought of him as a sort of father figure... but when he died I felt nothing. Just relief."

All Might recalled his previous conversation with Izumi. For the first time he'd seen that tough exterior she put around herself melt into what he believed was the true heart of the hero underneath. It made him think of when he'd first met her, all bright eyed and beaming with the eyes of a fan girl. She'd seemed so innocent and happy back then. Just what sort of training did this so call Sensei put her through to make her change so drastically?

"Forgive me, All Might, Principle Nezu…" she wiped at her tears. "I don't know why I told you that."

"I'm glad you did…" Nezu stood up. "You're an honest girl, Izumi… but I could tell there was more to the story then you were telling. Now we know."

"Is it bad?" She turned to Nezu. "I'm a hero, I should be compassionate and grateful to all life, but I'm not."

"Heroes are not perfect, Izumi." Nezu took her hands patting the top one. "The fact you have such a wide variety of emotions proves to me your not heartless. You just know where your loyalties, and heart truly lie."

Izumi nodded and offered up a weak smile.

"Thank you, Professor Nezu."

"Of course… now then be on your way. I don't want to waste too much of your lunch time." He pat her hands and pulled back. Izumi nodded and stood up. She turned to the teachers with a smile.

"Thanks for the talk, I feel so much better now that I've gotten it off my chest." she grinned and closed the door behind her. Nezu folded his hands behind his back, the cheerful face quieting into a thoughtful one.

"Hmmm she almost passed."

"A real shame…" All Might sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "I like Midoriya a lot. I want to support her… but I can now see why you wanted to test her."

"I don't doubt her heart is in the right place…" Nezu sighed. "Her mind on the other hand is so fragile. You could see it in every facial expression… just a hint of chaos hiding behind the control."

"Guess I'm back at square one… and I'm running out of time." All Might looked at his hand. "I think it's time I took your advice and meet this young Mirio face to face."

"A splendid idea… and I don't mind if you continue to support the Midoriya girl. In fact I encourage it. I get the feeling that if we let her go… she'll just sink deeper into the chaos she's created."

**~Ask Briry~**

**Briry: I debated on whether or not I wanted Midoriya to have "One for All" but I thought it might be more interesting this way. Off-canon tends to have a bigger impact with audiences, I've noticed. **

**Next Chapter: Training Montage **


	15. Training Montage

**Midori the Villain**

**Chapter 15: training montage**

"Hey Midori-chan," Uraraka poked her friend making her jolt. "What did the principal want with you during lunch?"

"Hmmm? Oh nothing really. He knew I kinda freaked out after USJ and wanted to make sure I was okay. That's all."

"Oh well are you? Okay I mean." She reiterated and got a shrug from Izumi.

"Okay isn't how I would put it…" she clenched her first on the table. "I'm more pissed off at myself for showing that weak side of me. Especially to the enemy but…" she lowered her head laughing. "Can't expect a complete change in such a short time.

Her phone rang and she lifted it up to check. Her lips curved when "Black King" scrolled over the display. She answered the phone.

"Hey, I'm still at school, what's up?"

"I don't care if your in school or not." Tomura said in his usual aggressive tone. "The rest of the world can wait as far as I care."

"So selfish…" she giggled and stood up when she started to draw attention. "Where are you at? Do you want me to meet you?"

"I'm near the station. You have twenty minutes to get here or i'll make you regret it, Karma." He hung up.

"So grumpy… wonder what's got his panties in a bunch." she hangs up and turns to catch eyes on her. Ashido, Uraraka, and Tohru stare intently and made her laugh. "He's really not as interesting as you guys are making him out to be."

"Your the one who's keeping him a mystery Midori-chan." Tohru insisted wiggling with anticipation. " hey come on can't we go with you to meet him?"

"Why don't you lot focus on preparing for the festival and leave my love life to me okay?" She called over her shoulder and opened the classroom door only to bump into a crowd of kids ogling at her and the others inside. "What in the…"

"... the heck is this!" Uraraka finished as she got a look at the massive crowd.

"Excuse me!" Iida called out stepping up next to Uraraka with his "rep" face on. "What business do you all have with Class A?"

"We can't get out! What the hell do you all want anyway?" Mineta shouted in frustration as he too was on his way out. Being as small as he was, there was no way he'd be able to get through the crowd without getting squished, shoved, or stepped on.

"They're here to check out the competition." Bakugo deduced, speaking in a strangely calm voice as he waltzed up and stood next to Izumi at the front door. "We're the ones who survived the villain attack. They probably want a look at us before the sports festival."

Izumi had to agree with his findings. They exchanged brief glances, and something in his eyes had Izumi staring longer than she probably should have. Despite his outward calm she saw a fire blazing… and his hunger for competition and need to prove himself was all apparent.

His lips quirked with a quick confident smirk that caused all kinds of stirrings she'd ignored since their battle in Hero Class. It was the same whenever she was around Todoroki. She committed herself to Tomura, swore to save him, protect him, and love him unconditionally. Yet something inside her craved the male attention, and liked it when they fell under her femininity. She wanted their affections, their attention, and yet she knew it was wrong to want it. Somehow knowing it was bad, just made her want to do it all the more.

His hand slipping out of his pocket so that his fingertips brushed Izumi's. She let the contact happen… but slowly pulled away so he couldn't grab hold of her hand. Irritation and frustration made Bakugo bristle and he turned aggravated eyes onto the crowd.

"Move it, Extras!"

"I came to see what the famous Class A was like…" A boy called out as he made his way to the front of the crowd. "...but you all seem pretty arrogant to me." Shinso Hitoshi, a general ed student stepped front and center staring Bakugo down. "Are all of the hero students like this?"

"Pot and kettle…" Izumi muttered. The guy radiated with arrogance and confidence. It was clear this guy was itching for a fight. She glanced down at her phone, saw she'd already wasted a good five minutes at the front door. Tomura was gonna be annoyed and pissed off if she showed up late. "I don't have time for this."

"Most of us here enrolled in the general studies because we couldn't get into the hero course, did you know that?" Shinso told them. "Depending on our performance in the sports festival they're considering out-"

"Shhhhh!" Izumi cut off Shinso by pressing a finger to his lips. "Alright I've heard enough. You can stop with the tough guy act." She pat his cheek making him blink in surprise.

"Excuse me?" Shinso raised a brow as his attention turned fully to her. One look in those cool green eyes and he no longer even acknowledged Bakugo. The girl barely reached his chest in height, but her presence filled the room.

"You're here to challenge us… well that's just peachy, but I don't have time to listen to your male bravado monologue okay?" She waved him off as if he were a fly. "I'm a busy girl and I don't have time for your declarations of war." She sharpened her gaze and stood toe to toe with him. "Do what you want, say what you want, but none of that matters to me." She put a confident hand on her hip. "I play to win, no matter what, so if you've come to declare war than you'd better bring your A game to back up your words." Her grin went a little sadistic and spread farther when she saw the entire group of kids took a step back. "…because I don't believe in holding back."

A few moments of silence had the room filling with her ominous aura. Even her classmates looked at her as if she'd grown a second head. Her cell phone began to buzz and she looked at her phone grunting.

"Ugh perfect, these idiots have made me late." Out of patience she surrounded herself in her quirk. "Kacchan if any of these losers look up my skirt you have my permission to blast their eyes out of their sockets." She told him and floated above the crowd and down the hall.

"Gladly…" Bakugo smirked, Izumi's words and confidence firing up his own. He help up his hand letting the sparks pop and the crowd began to quickly part.

"Bakugo! Hold on!" Kirishima called out. "Aren't you gonna do something about this? Everyone's hating on us because of what you two just did!"

"You heard Usagi, they don't matter." he looked back over his shoulder at Kirishima. "So long as you come out on top, none of it matters."

As he left, the echoes of a B class student's rave echoing behind him, the rest of the class contemplated what had just happened. Moved by Bakugo's manly words he clenched a fist sighing with frustration.

"So simple, and manly."

"You said it…" Sato agreed.

"Man I knew Izumi had balls, but did you see her stand up to that guy?" Kaminari pointed with a laugh. "She completely tore down his defenses. It was so hot to watch."

"You think so? Personally that chick gives me the creeps." Sero rubbed the back of his neck, still feeling the goosebumps prickle along his skin.

"She's so strong…" Uraraka held her chest and Iida looked down at her. She held such a look of utter admiration and wonder. "Even after everything that happened to her she still stands tough."

"Ah, it's admirable, but a bit concerning." Iida agreed and rubbed her shoulder. "As her fellow classmates and rivals we should make sure we don't fall behind."

Uraraka nodded, her chin lifting confidently.

"You're right Iida. Midori-chan's right too. We have to give this festival our all so we can stand on top!"

"That's the spirit, Uraraka-kun!" Iida puffed out his chest. "Now then, let's break up this crowd!" Iida walked forward and started to give orders to push the crowd away. Behind him Todoroki weaved through the crowd, keeping to himself so he could smoothly make his way out.

Izumi's confident words had also affected him. There was something about his boldness that he admired, but he also remembered the look of that frightened girl who had cried and lashed out during the USJ attack.

_It's all guff… __She only acts like that to make herself seem stronger than she actually is._

Bakugo knew her well… a fact he envied because there was so much more he wanted to learn about Midoriya. The more he learned, the more he felt a kinship with her… a need to stand by her side, fight with her, protect her… save her.

She'd hate that he thought of her like that, as a person who needed to be protected. Still he saw too much of his mother in her, and it frightened him. She stood strong, smiled through the adversity and tragedy she was up against… but in those eyes he saw a sadness and insanity that she was desperately trying to hide.

They'd gotten a glimpse of it at USJ, but even that was scratching the surface. If something didn't change then sooner or later that girl was going to wind up breaking... and he didn't want to let that happen.

...he wouldn't let someone else he love break down.

**~Meanwhile~**

"You're late!" Tomura scowled at Izumi as she rushed down the alley at him.

"I know, I'm sorry. There was a massive crowd blocking the entrance of the classroom. Some kid had the balls to declare war on the hero class." She explained and pulled out her handkerchief to wipe the sweat on her brow. "I admire his audacity, and curse his timing."

"Whatever… let's go." he hooked his elbow around her neck, leading her through the crowd of people. His shoulders hunched, and he tucked his hood further down his face.

"You know…" Izumi leaned into him as they piled onto the train. "If you're gonna make a habit of coming out in public, then you should invest in a guise. Someone might recognize you if you're not careful."

"You just don't want to be seen with me." Tomura sniffed and averted his gaze when Izumi pouted at him. "You're just scared that I'll ruin your reputation at UA. I don't see why you have to keep going to that stupid school if we're not gonna Ki-" His expression got more irritated when izumi covered his lips with two fingers to silence him.

"Not here…" she whispered at him. She looked around to ensure no one was paying attention to them and she nuzzled her face under his chin and into the crook of his neck. "I know someplace close where we can talk. Then I'll hear you out."

"Fine…" He grunted at her. Ten minutes later they exited the train and Izumi guided him through a small shopping center before coming out towards the beach.

At least it was supposed to be a beach. It resembled more of a dump what with the clutter of junk and debris that washed along its sandy shores. She stepped down into the sand and wandered into the clutter before turning to him.

"No one comes here anymore because of all the trash and clutter. We can talk freely now."

"We should have just gone back to the apartment." There he could make her listen… make her tremble under him like he'd done that night he'd taken her for the first time. Out in the open he felt too exposed, felt as if the eyes of the world bore down on him.

"This was closer, and I wanted the ambiance." She had a point to make, and thought it best to use an example. "You want me to quit school. Why? I need to collect information on All Might, and I won't be able to get close to him as a normal girl. As a student I-"

"I don't care about that." Frustrated Tomura gripped the edge of an old metal desk and turned it into rust and dust. "When you're around me I don't care about All Might. I don't care about the world or how disgusting the world is." He looked to her pleadingly. "Stay with me… be with me all the time… and the world can go to hell for all I care."

The love she had inside bloomed and she held her chest where it ached. She was the same, in some aspect. When she was around Tomura none of the boys; not Kacchan, not Todoroki, and not even All Might occupied her mind. She saw only him.

"I'll just drive you crazy if I'm around you all the time, Tomura." She smiled gently, but then the smile slowly faded. "If I quit school, are you really just going to forget about All Might?"

"If I can't kill him, if I can't watch him suffer then there's no point in thinking or even acknowledging him."

"Why do you hate him so much, Tomura?" Izumi narrowed her eyes seriously. "I can understand with being angry at the way the world works, but why All Might in particular? What has he done?"

"He's the one who made this world the way it is!" Tomura shouted and tossed a chair, the broken pieces of it half decayed by the time it landed. "It's because of him the world chose to ignore me! When my quirk manifested, and I killed my father, mother, my entire family…" He started to wretch and scratched at his neck trying to alleviate the pain and frustration he was feeling. "I screamed for someone to help me. I ran through the streets begging for someone to make it all stop but they all ignored me!"

Izumi's heart bled as she watched Tomura's calm expression crumble into insanity.

"The heroes will help him… the heroes will save him… but no one came. All Might created this world where all of society's problems are thrusted into the hands of incompetent and selfish figureheads that only care about themselves and their image. They don't care what happens to those of us who fall between the cracks." He slumped down into the sand staring down at his hands. "Master was the only one who cared, master was the one who saved me… and you killed him. Why did you kill him?"

"You know why I did it…" She knelt beside him. "He was using you, Tomura. He saw this sad, hurting little boy and he saw an opportunity. He wasn't helping you, Tomura, even if it seemed like he was. He was manipulating you, using your anger and frustration with the world and focusing it on All Might… but All Might doesn't need your help to disappear because that's happening all on its own."

She took up a metal casing and held it out to him. He took it in his grip, watched as it decayed and turned to dust that fell through those beautiful elegant hands.

"There's not much left of him to destroy, Tomura. You won't find satisfaction or gratification in destroying something that's already half dead."

"Then what am I supposed to do?" He held himself and rocked, his fingers scratching at his neck but she took hold of his hand to stop him.

"You put your need anger and frustration to better use. You put your need for destruction and death to better use." She stood up and turned towards a large pile of debris. Using her quirk she spread it opened and cleared a path so that he saw the gorgeous horizon of the sunset glittering off the ocean's surface. Tomura's eyes softened at the sight and he stood up watching as his lover stood strong and beautiful as a silhouette against the piercing sun.

"Behind all the garbage, the filth, and the grime there's a beautiful world hiding. Some people, true heroes, do their best to remove a little of it at a time but the lies and filth just keeps building and building." She turned to him, eyes focused and determined. "In order recreate the world we have to destroy the notion that it's fine the way it is. We have to show people just how dirty and toxic the fakes are making it."

She stepped to him and cupped his face in her hands.

"We'll destroy the old world, and build a new one. We'll build a world where everyone does their part, a utopia where no one can feel estranged, or lost, or broken. There will be no need for heroes or villains because those boundaries just don't exist. They either fall in line with the image we make…" her eyes shifted and Tomura smiled as Karma came out to play. "...or they die with the rest of the filth."

"You really get my juices going when you talk like that, Karma." he took her face in his hands nibbling on her bottom lip. "Your talk of justice and purity make me laugh… but when your true colors show I remember why I need you in my life. You know exactly what to say to get me motivated."

"I love you too, Tomura." She giggled against his lips and gasped a bit when he hoisted her up, sitting her on a piece of wreckage and grinding into her lap. "Here?"

"Here… weren't you the one who said no one will come? Don't get shy on me now, Karma." He pulled down her panties and unzipped his pants. When he filled her, Izumi's eyes went gooey and she clung on to enjoy the ride.

**~Several days later~**

"Damn it!" Beyond frustrated with herself Izumi glugged down a water bottle and wiped the sweat from her chin. For the next couple weeks all the students were given free periods to help prepare for the upcoming event. She technically didn't have anything to prove at the Sports Festival… she wasn't interested in internships, or taking the spotlight… but Shinso Hitoshi had gotten under her skin.

After their brief encounter she'd looked him up in the student directory and found his name. She didn't know what his quirk was, or if he had any sort of special skills, but the guy was determined to stand out and challenge the heroes. In the heat of the moment she'd talked big to him, and if she didn't back up her words she'd be a laughing stock.

She had a clever mind, it was true, but if history proved anything it was that these events often focused on physical ability, and hers was still sub-par in comparison to a few of her other classmates.

She was determined to change that.

"I can't grab hold of a person for a long period of time." Izumi flexed her fingers to crack them. She held her chin muttering strategies to herself. "I don't know if I'll have any kind of access to projectiles or small objects that will be easy to move. I need to find a way to strengthen my quirk, but I can't seem to focus my energy on a moving object long enough to really make a difference. If I try to grab hold of them, it may slow them down, but the moment they get free it'll leave me open for attack and I can't afford to be caught off guard. I need to think of a different approach."

"Hard at work I see…" All Might's voice called out from behind her and Izumi jumped and turned.

"All Might, what are you doing here?"

"I'm still your teacher, even if you are in a free period." He pat her head. "I've been checking in on all your classmates as well. Everyone seems determined and focus… and I hear you're part of the reason."

"They're getting revved up all on their own, they don't need my help." Izumi insisted and turned back to the task at hand. Izumi took a deep breath and held her hands out forming her energy around the training robot she asked to borrow. All Might stood silently behind her, watching her struggle with the weight and size of it.

"Hmmm…." All might rubbed his chin as he watched her. "You know, when I first saw you use your quirk I thought it was similar to Young Uraraka. Yet now that I've had the chance to see it in action I'm thinking it's probably more closely related to Tokoyami."

"Tokoyami?" Focus broken, Izumi released the robot and let it circle around in neutral mode. "What do you mean?"

"You only ever use your quirk to grab hold of things, lift things, so I assumed you needed objects in order to manifest it…" he started to explain.

"_I am here! I am here! I am here!" _

The ringtone for his phone went off making him jump and flush.

"Pardon me, little Midori." He apologized and backed off to answer his phone. "Yes, hello? Ah young Mirio what can I do for you? Hmmm… a demonstration? Of course I'll be right there." He hung up and saluted to Izumi. "Pardon me, duty calls little Midori! Train hard, I'll be watching your performance at the festival!"

He ran off in a hurry leaving Izumi with a irritated and bemused expression.

"Mirio?" She muttered, and made a mental note to look up the name at a later date. Still what he had said got to her. She lifted her hands up focusing the energy in the palms. What was that he was saying about needing an object to focus it. That's how her quirked worked… wasn't it?

She got a flash in her mind of USJ. She'd instinctively grabbed All Might, but before that her energy had been lashing out all over the place. She thought maybe it was just extending from her body, growing bigger… but the form had been too sporadic, disconnected.

"A separate manifistation…" She murmured and her eyes lit up and she looked at the robot. "Hey tin can! Go into attack mode!"

This was gonna hurt if her theory was wrong… but she wasn't the type of person to back down from a challenge. Izumi planted her feet, watched as the robot did one more final sweep of the room to gain momentum and then rushed forward at her.

"Here goes nothing…" Izumi narrowed her eyes with focus and she held out her palms. "Kinetic Shield!"

A wide circle of energy formed a distance away from her. The robot crashed straight into it, crumbling apart and smoking. Izumi admired the wreckage with wide eyes and a grin that nearly split her face open.

"That's it… That's what All Might meant when he said my quirk is like Tokoyami's.

I can't hold moving objects because the energy is too malleable. It can form into any shape I want." She looked at her hands laughing excitedly. "All this time I've just been tracing the shapes of other objects and using them to give them substance… but I don't need them."

To test it further she backed away from the wreckage and created a lance from her energy. She launched it and let out a gleeful shout when it pierced through the metal and exploded like a bomb around it.

"Yes, yes, yes, YES! Oh what a breakthrough!" She jumped and did cartwheels around the room unable to contain her excitement. Finally… FINALLY... She was getting a firm understanding of her quirk. A confident smirk formed on her face and she clenched her fist letting her energy pulse around it.

...and now that she understood it, she couldn't wait to show it off at the Sports Festival.

_**~Ask Briry~**_

_**Briry: WOOT! That was fun… did you guys enjoy it? **_

_**I plan on switching things up at the festival as far as teams and the tournament go so I'd like your guys opinions on what you'd like to see. Who do you think Izumi should pair up with in the Calvalry battle, and who would you like to see fight in the tournament? There's two more chapters before I have to make a solid decision so make sure you leave your opinions in a review!**_

_**Next Chapter: The Secret Date**_


	16. Secret Date

**Midori The Villain**

**Author's Note: I've got a basic outline of the Sports Festival lined up, but I'm keeping some options open in case you guys have anymore requests for future battles you'd like to see. Be sure to let me know!**

**Also I shouldn't have to mention this as there's been plenty of racey content thus far, but for future notice there's gonna be several mentions of dark and twisted subjects including abuse, sexual activity, masochism, sadism etc. So you have been warned! **

**ENJOY!**

**Chapter 16: Secret Date**

The station was bustling with people on a bright Sunday morning. The trains pulled in and out, letting out a trickle of crowds at a time before loading again. Out front the girls of Class 1A gathered together waiting for the rest of their party to arrive.

"There they are! Uraraka! Tsuyu!" Ashido waved her hands bouncing next to Tohru, Jiro, and Yaoyorozu. On a spur of the moment idea, Ashido had invited all the girls for a weekend shopping trip. With everyone training so hard for both midterms and the Sports Festival everyone agreed they needed a break, and decided to have some fun.

"Hey!" Uraraka waved and both she and Tsuyu rushed to the group. "Sorry we're late. I was trying to call Midori-chan to invite her but she wasn't answering her phone." She jogged up patting her chest as if to help herself breathe in more air from the jog.

"Eh?" Ashido pouted. "We can't have a girl's day without all the girls."

"Yeah, Ashido's right. It's not fair for all of us to do something and not include her. Why don't we try her phone again?"

"Oooh better yet let's find out where she lives and bombard her at home!" Ashido shouted suddenly excited at the prospect and looked to Yaoyorozu. "We can find her home address in the school directory right?"

"Of course… but is that really okay? Midoriya-san might be busy hence why she's not answering her phone." Yaoyorozu put in making both Tohru and Ashido pout.

"I dunno, I'm actually knida curious to see where Midori-chan lives. How about you, Tsuyu?" Uraraka turned to Tsu who tapped her chin.

"I do think it's rude to show up unannounced. Why don't you try calling her one more time and let her know we're coming."

"Great idea!" Ashido jumped and wiggled in place. "Let's go!"

**~Twenty Minutes Later~**

All but Yaoyorozu and Tsuyu stood with wide open mouths as they took in the sight of Izumi's apartment building. Uraraka in particular felt like she was gonna faint as the swankiness and luxury overwhelmed her.

"Whoa, no way, THIS is where Midoriya lives?!" Ashido held her cheeks, eyes sparkling and she bubbled with curiosity. "I had no idea she was rich."

"My father owns a condo in a building like this. They have an indoor pool, built in meeting rooms for business purposes, and even a rooftop air garden. The buy price runs about 500 million yen." Yao said nonchalantly and Uraraka finally fell backwards in shock.

"It's a mansion!" She said on the downfall only to be caught by Tsuyu.

"Are we sure this is the right place?" Jiro asked nervously. "I mean Midoriya always struck me as really down to earth and casual. This doesn't seem like her scene."

"I heard from Kirishima that her mom died and she was adopted, so maybe some rich big shot took her in." Ashido theorized.

"I'm just saying we should double check before just barging in. It could be we got the wrong address or…" Jiro trailed off and her mouth dropped open when she caught a glimpse of someone in the corner of her eye. Izumi strolled down the walkway, wearing high heels, a crimson colored duster, and a black dress that hugged her curves and showed off legs.

As the girls were still off to the side Izumi didn't take notice of them. She was on a mission and clearly in a hurry as she had her phone to her ear and was firing off rapid questions as she made the dash from the front door of the apartment building, and towards the streets.

"I'm already running late, so this had better be good." She told the person on the other line. Her face twisted into an irritated expression. "You can tell King that I'll be home later and he can bug me then, I've got business to attend to."

She hung up sighing heavily. She'd been so busy lately training the new abilities of her quirk that she hadn't been paying much attention to Tomura. In response he was constantly texting or calling and even came to the apartment in the middle of the night to brand his touch into her.

His constant need for her attention was endearing… and was really starting to get on her nerves.

She paused in front of a nice restaurant and fussed with her hair a little. It was then she felt the eyes on her. She'd had an inkling she was being followed, but now she was damn certain of it. Great, she thought with a sneer, just great.

She glanced over to the side, barely caught sight of Ashido's pink form and her temple throbbed with annoyance. How had the girl find her? Did they seriously want to spend their day off stalking her? Well… She gave a smirk and touseled her hair a little more before entering… she'd give them a real show. Fully in character she went to the Maitre'd and gave him a sly smile.

"Reservation for Midoriya Queen…" she told him and casually looked at the silver watch on her bracelet. "My 2nd is running late so if you wouldn't mind seating me first, I'd like a glass of ginger ale while I wait."

"Of course, Miss Queen… please follow me." He took two menus and escorted her back. Meanwhile the girls watched from the front as Izumi took a nice quiet booth in the back and sat casually and comfortably in the plush seats.

"Whoa, fancy… I wish there was a way we could watch but I doubt the restaurant would let us." Uraraka whispered, but Yaoyorozu was already making her move.

"Hello, Sebastian-san…" She smiled sweetly at the front and the Maitre'd immediately beamed when he saw her.

"Momo Yaoyorozu, my dear friend, it has been too long since I've seen you. How is your mother?"

"Very well, thank you… if you wouldn't mind getting a booth for my friends and I, preferably somewhere in section 3 i'd really appreciate it." She batted her eyelashes and gave her best "coy" smile.

"Of course, anything for you Momo." He clapped his hands and Yao turned around winking at the girls getting a group of giggles and quiet cheers.

**~meanwhile~**

Izumi received her ginger ale and leisurely sipped on it as she waited for her guest to arrive. She wondered if any of the girls in 1A knew anything about stealth? From the giggles, to the blatant following, and lack of manners, the group of them stood out like a sore thumb.

Jiro was with them, which meant they'd be able to hear her entire conversation. She searched in her purse for a pen and scribbled something on a piece of scrap paper and tucked it neatly in her hand. When she spotted her date Izumi's sly flirtaciously spread and she stood holding out her hands to the gentleman who greeted her. She tucked the piece of paper in his hands and allowed him to kiss hers in greeting.

"My Queen, please forgive me for being late. The life of a doctor is often busy and filled with little social time."

"Doctor Nakahara, you're more than forgiven. You're a hard working man, and I appreciate you meeting me when you're so busy." She laughed a little, her sharp eyes focusing into his. Dr. Kyo Nakahara was a young married man in his early thirties. Despite his age he was one of the top doctors in Japan and had one of the most powerful healing quirks of his generation.

"Anything for you, My Queen." He caught the look in her eyes and his own gaze focused. As they sat he casually looked at the slip of paper.

_Mind your words, we're being watched. _

"So…" He closed his fist around the paper casually tucking it in his pocket as he shift and adjusted his suit jacket. "What can I do for you?"

**~Back at Yaoyorozu's table~**

"Yes! I was hoping to find out about her mysterious boyfriend." Ashido bounced in place making sure to stay tucked in the booth and out of sight.

"Are we sure that's him? Doesn't he look kinda old for her?" Jiro asked and got a mix reaction. "I would think if Midoriya was gonna date someone older he'd be like in college or something."

"Me too. I even asked Bakugo if he had an inkling on who it might be but…" Uraraka sweat as she recalled the guys reaction.

"_No! The only guy Usagi has ever hung out with is me. Trust me if I knew what bastard changed her he'd be a street pizza!"_

"...is what he said." She rubbed the back of her head sighing heavily.

"Oh, which reminds me!" Ashido pulled out her phone and took a quick snapshot… zooming in so that the picture showed off Kyo holding Izumi's hand and looking at her fondly. "The boys will never believe us when we tell them, so I gotta have proof."

"I wish I could hear what they were saying though." Tohru said in frustration.

'Leave it to me…" Jiro casually let her phone jack plug into the floor and she isolated the sound of Izumi and her date. She started to relay the conversation she was overhearing.

Izumi handed the waiter back the menu after their order had been taken and she leaned forward on her hands.

"I hired you for my organization because I knew your expertise is the best. I'm still new at all this, but I know enough to know money talks."

"That it does… and you've given me more than enough, Midoriya. Believe me." He took her hand again kissing it. "What you're doing for me, for my family, I couldn't possibly repay you for it. On the first day alone I made such progress… and it's a relief to have such a private space to do my work."

"I only wish I could do more." She folded her hands in her lap. "Thanks to my inheritance I've got more money than I can stomach for myself. If I'm going to use it, I want to use it on things I know will help the world, and secure our future. The research you're doing will be life changing not just for your family but for so many others."

"That it is, and it's just the beginning. If you continue to support me than I can promise you I will more than help in that endeavor."

"Good… which brings me to why I asked you here." She crossed her legs and slipped another piece of paper across the table to him. "I have a favor to ask of you."

"Name it." He read the paper that lay flat on the table. It read:

"_I want you to help me get stronger." _

"I need some medical advice…" she covered, knowing Jiro could be listening. "As you know I'm a student at UA high school and we've the Sports Festival coming up. I'm having trouble maintaining my stamina due to the excessive use of my quirk, and while I'm in good shape I still can't compete with a lot of the others in my class, particularly a lot of the boys."

"Have you been training your body?" He wrote on the pad and turned the napkin so that she could read what it said:

_You don't want steroids do you? That's cheating, My Queen._

Insulted, and a bit embarrassed that he would assume such a thing Izumi answered him upfront.

"I don't need help in that regard. I'm physically fit, and capable on my own, but there's just such a huge gap between myself and the top players in my class." She sighed heavily and leaned on her hands. "I'm not talking about a shortcut… I want to know if there's anything I can do at a medical standpoint, that can help me. Foods I should eat, exercises you'd recommend. You know the human body better than anyone on this planet… tell me how to bring out my peak condition. How can I perform at my best?"

"Ah, I see…" reading between the lines he wrote more on the napkin.

_You want me to fully examine your quirk and its uses so you can figure out how to train it properly? _

Izumi read the words and her lips curved into a sweet and innocent smile.

"So, will you help me?"

Kyo took the napkin and Izumi's hands so that they could crinkle up the napkin and eliminate the evidence of the conversation.

"For you, Midoriya…" he kissed her knuckles and let go so she could toss the napkin in her open purse. "Anything."

**~After the Meal~**

"Be sure to call me and make an appointment. I'll judge for myself whether or not you're in tip top condition for the competition."

"Your attention and effort are appreciated, Kyo. Thank you." She leaned up on her toes kissing his cheek and then waving as he got in a taxi and headed off. She let out a long deep breath and gave herself a pat on the back. The transaction with the League's new doctor went on smoothly… now she could slip back into casual Izumi and see if her efforts paid off.

"Midoriya!"

Izumi mocked jumping when Ashido called her name and she whirled around holding her chest.

"Ashido! You guys… what are you all doing here?" She fidgeted for effect and looked around flustered.

"We caught you as you were leaving home." Uraraka told her and stepped closer taking the chance to look her up and down. This time Izumi didn't need to pretend to fidget. Just having all the eyes on her up close was enough to have her cheeks flushed.

"Y-You saw all that? Did you hear it all?"

"Yes, guilty…" Jiro held up an ear jack. "We couldn't resist. It's okay, Midoriya. You're struggling with your training and that's nothing to be ashamed of."

"Yeah, Jirou's right!" Tohru agreed. "It's amazing that you've got one of the best surgeons in the world as your own personal house call doctor. You're so lucky!"

"I'd hardly call it luck." Izumi rubbed the back of her head. "I'm just trying to utilize all my resources. This whole fancy place, and attire isn't really my thing."

"Coulda fooled us, Ribbit." Tsuyu put in. "You seemed to fit into the scene really well."

"That's Tsuyu-chan…" Midoriya laughed. "I much prefer a pair of sneakers, than walking stilts… my feet are killing me." She shifted and adjusted her stance. For a few minutes she let the girls fuss and ogle at her attire, slipping back into the friendly atmosphere just as she had the more upperclass one. Yaoyorozu even insisted on them one day having tea at her family's estate. An invitation she wouldn't mind taking her up on.

"Well I should probably get going…" She started to turn but Uraraka grabbed her hand to keep her from walking away.

"No, not yet. Come shopping with us, Midori-chan!"

"Yeah! We were trying to invite you earlier, but you weren't answering your phone. Come on let's go have some fun. You can just pick up some casual clothes at the mall." Ashido insisted grabbing her free hand and tugging on it.

"That does sound like fun, but-" She started to think of an excuse… something along the lines of getting a work out in before dinner… but she was suddenly interrupted.

"Izumi…"

The voice behind her made Izumi go white. No, she thought with complete terror, he wasn't here, he wasn't standing right behind her out in the open for the girls to see.

"Hmm who's that?" Ashido poked her head around as the figure walked closer. Wearing fingerless gloves, a dark hoodie, jeans and sneakers Tomura came up from behind and slung an arm around Izumi. He pulled her back and away from the girls tucking her protectively up against him.

An uncomfortable silence filled the air and Izumi slowly tilted her head up to look at him...and her breath whooshed out in relief. He'd taken her advice and put on a guise. The wig he wore was a black shaggy cut that went to the shoulders and he put on glasses to appear more poetic and soft in the face.

"So you really were hanging out with friends…" Tomura said, his smile quick and smug. "Here I called Knight a liar. Guess I overreacted." He teased. Taking inspiration from the chess pieces, Izumi had given them each a codename to use in public. Izumi was the Queen, Tomura the King, and Kurogiri the Knight.

"Yah think?" Izumi choked on the laugh she forced out. "What are you doing here?"

"Why else, I came to get you." He casually slid fingers over her neck and through her hair. The touch was so intimate that Ashido started to beam.

"It's you! You're the mysterious boyfriend Midoriya has been hiding from us!" She bounced and pulled out her phone hoping to sneak in another picture.

"Hmmm?" Tomura turned his attention back to the girls and played up his best smile. "Hey aren't you guys UA students?"

"That's right…" Yaoyorozu cleared her throat, having also gotten a bad vibe from him. "I'm Yaoyorozu, this is Jiro, Ashido, Hagakura, Asui, and Uraraka… we're all Izumi's classmates."

"Nice to meet yah…" he waved his free hand. "My name is Tenko Shimura. Izumi's told me so much about you."

Tenko Shimura… Izumi raised a brow at the name, but shrugged it off as ploy.

"Tenko, the girls and I were gonna go to the mall and do some shopping. Why don't you go back to the apartment and wait for me there, okay?"

"No…" the smile dropped as he turned his eyes back on Izumi. "We're going home."

The bad vibe shook around the group again, and Izumi desperately tried to return the calm atmosphere by placing a loving hand on his cheek.

"I know I haven't been giving you much attention lately, My King, but I promise I'll more than make it up to you when I get back, okay?" She placed a gentle kiss on his lips but he pulled her in more firmer, his hand gripping her tight to hold her to him.

"I said no… now don't argue with me." He turned them around jerking Izumi along. She tripped a bit on her heels and to keep it casual she went along with him.

"Sorry you guys…" Izumi looked over her shoulder waving friendly. "He's impossible when he gets in this kinda mood. I'll see you at school!"

"Oh… okay…" Uraraka lifted a numbed hand then held it to her chest watching them leave. She looked to the girls who all had the same grief expression. "Did anybody else feel that?"

"The guy's a creep. What does Izumi see in him?" Jiro rubbed her shoulders.

"Does anybody else think we should tell Bakugo and the others about this?" Tsuyu asked with a puzzled expression.

"I don't know about Bakugo…" Ashido looked at her phone, she'd managed to snap a picture when the two weren't looking. Izumi's nervous expression as she looked into the guy's eyes said everything. "...but I know someone else who deserves to know."

**~At the Apartment~**

"Are you a fucking idiot?" Izumi tossed her shoes down and stomped into the room running fingers through her hair. "What the hell were you thinking just strolling up to my classmates? What if one of them had recognized you, huh?"

"They didn't, and besides I was wearing a stupid disguise." He yanked the wig off tossing it on the floor and scratching at the itchy places on his scalp.

"Even if they didn't recognize your face, they could have recognzied your voice, or your demeanor… and if you had-"

"Shut up…" he shoved her onto the couch and loomed over her. "It's your own fault for ignoring me. You go off and make a date with that stupid scmoozy doctor, wearing slut attire, and perfume and expect me not to react? Now who's being stupid?"

"Kyo is an important doctor and a part of society. I can't just meet him willy nilly in a seedy bar like most of our contacts. Restaurants like that have a dress code and I…" She choked the last word as his hand gripped her neck and squeezed.

"I don't care… I don't care about any of that societal crap. I want you to make it clear just who you belong to. You're mine, Karma!"

"I'm not a fucking possession, I'm a KYA!" She screamed when he smacked her, the quick touch cracking her skin and making it burn and bleed from the cracks.

"I'm the King… you said so yourself. I'm the King, You're my queen. You're mine! End of story. I'll destroy anyone that touches or tries to take what is mine!" He disintegrated the dress until only Izumi lay under him and just continued to squeeze her neck. She wheezed and turned beat red as she gasped for air. Her wide eyes stare into his crazed ones, and for the first time in a long time she actually feared he would kill her.

Instead… the grip fell away and he bowed his head laying it on the soft swell of her breast. Her inhaled her scent, and filled her up in one slow thrust that left her shaken and dazed.

"You see what happens to me when you're not by my side, Karma?" He whispered gently and nuzzled her neck. As he moved inside her Izumi tried desperately to recollect her thoughts. "This world drives me mad… I see it's taint everywhere I look. It disgusts me… makes me want to destroy everything." He pulled back and looked into her eyes. He gently touched the marks he made on her neck and cheek and he bit his lip in frustration. "Leave me alone in it long enough… and I could very well destroy you without even meaning to. I don't want to be alone in this world, Karma. Don't leave me alone."

Tears slipped down Izumi's cheeks. She wasn't the only one that needed to get stronger, Izumi realized. As she pulled Tomura down and cradled him to her, indulged in his needs and wants, she knew they couldn't keep going like this.

She needed to find a better way to deal with his dependency. His fragile state of mind was not an issue that was to be taken lightly. She'd made him go cold turkey without Sensei's assistance, and he'd disintegrated the hands he used as a sort of shield against the world. Now she was his only crutch… and he was leaning on her heavily.

She loved him, but this needed to stop. He had to learn to stand on his own, to face the world even in its imperfect state, and take it on.

"You're not alone, Tomura…" She nuzzled him and stroked her fingers through his hair. "Even if I'm not there you're never alone. Trust me to have your back… trust me to stand with you when you need me most."

"Karma…" He breathed her name kissing the bruises he'd put on her neck.

"You are a King, Tomura. You are my King." She held his face and pulled back to smile slyly at him. "You need to show the world how strong you are by standing up to it. Don't let it defeat you."

"How?" He sat up and shifted when Izumi took over and straddled him. As she rode him strong her eyes remained focus on his, telling him stories and singing him songs without her having to say a word.

"You defeat the world…" she panted out and licked her lips as the high of the moment turned her face sadistic and a bit crazed. "...by ruling it."

_**~Ask Briry~**_

**Briry: *Listening to "Animals" (cover) by Living in Fiction* **

**Next Chapter: The Challenge **


	17. The Challenge

**Midori the Villain**

**Chapter 17: The Challenge**

"I gotta tell you, My Queen." Doctor Nakahara told Izumi as he examined her face and neck. "I didn't expect you to need my services so soon."

"Trust me, neither did I." She laughed, her voice a little raw, and rubbed the tender skin when he pulled away. "Lucky for me you had a free moment."

"The current tests im running are gonna take time for results to show." He explained and rustled through a drawer for a pair of gloves. He snapped them on and then went through a cupboard of medicines and salves. "The facial tissue is completely dead and is gonna scar even with my quirk. I do have some some special salve that will help alleviate the bruises."

"I'll take what I can get." She sat cross legged on the examination table and let him get to work. Her eyes drift over to the two containers across the room that held his wife and daughter, both in a deep cryogenic sleep. "This is the first time I've seen your wife and daughter… they're both very beautiful."

"Thank you…" he gently rubbed the salve on her neck and wrapped it up in bandage. "I'll be sure to make proper introductions once they're healed."

"I can't wait…" she smiled and winced a little when he placed his bare fingers against her cheek and knit the skin together. A thick scar now traced the outline of her cheekbone. Izumi pulled up the mirror and scowled at it.

"I'm gonna have a hard time explaining this to my teachers and classmates." She gingerly touched it. "I have to do some damage control as is."

"Damage control?" Nakahara raised a brow.

"Yeah… Shigaraki was an idiot and decided to pop up right in front of my classmates. Luckily none of the girls got a good look at Shigaraki, but I don't want to take the chance that they'll blab to Kacchan or my teachers. Next thing you know I'll be getting the third degree about who he is, where he lives, and having him brought in for questioning and abuse and all kinds of other messes."

She jumped off the table and stretched out her limbs.

"Can I ask you something, Izumi." He sat back down in his chair and folded his hands in his lap.

"Sure," She turned around to face him.

"You're a good person… you're actively doing all you can to better the world, helping people, saving people… why are you in league with someone like Shigaraki?" He held his hands up when her face twisted up. "I'm not telling you what to do, or questioning your methods. I will continue to hold up my end of the bargain either way… but it seems strange to me that someone as sweet natured and kind as you could wind up mixed in such a dangerous game."

"A game, huh?" She laughed and she looked down at her hands, her fingers fidgeting in an old nervous habit. "It's funny, that's kinda how I picture my situation. Life is all one big chess game, White vs. Black, Good vs. Evil, Me vs. The World."

She conjured up a chess board in her mind, picture it between her and the doctor and methodically started moving her pieces.

"When I started the game, I didn't know how to play it. I knew the basic rules… don't do this, don't do that, this piece goes here, that piece moves there… all the essential stuff. I never knew there were so many different combinations, I never knew there were so many options other than what was clearly laid out in front of me…" she lifted a hand as if to flip the board around. "I never knew you could switch sides so that the game could change entirely."

She lifted her eyes to the doctor, something in the glint of them had his hair standing on end. He visibly swallowed when her lips curled into a confident smile.

"I never knew how much I enjoyed winning, no matter the stakes. It's a potent and powerful thrill that just takes you over. More and more I wanted to play, and even if I occasionally lose I want the chance to set all my pieces up again and start over."

"What if you can't start over?" He heard himself ask, and wondered why the question sounded so calm when he himself was trembling inside.

"You can always start over, Doc." She laughed and turned her back to him. She eyed his wife and daughter and stepped to their tanks gently touching the glass. "So long as you're alive, there will always be a game to play."

**~The Following Day~**

The early morning air had a chill, and the thick clouds threatened rain so Izumi used it as an excuse to bundle up. She text every one of the girls, asking them to meet her before school and was pleased when every single one responded in turn. She'd bought them all a can of hot cocoa as a sort of peace offering and apology, and waited until she had their full attention before speaking about the events.

"I want to apologize to you guys for calling you out here so early." She stuffed her hands in her pockets and eyed the rising sun. "I didn't want to bring this up at school, and I didn't want to risk anyone else listening in."

"We're listening, Midori-chan." Supportive, and concerned Uraraka placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. Izumi offered a weak smile and sighed heavily.

"About Tenko… I'd appreciate it if you guys forgot you ever saw him, or met him." She played with her fingers, not because she was nervous, but to remain in character. She knew what she wanted to say, knew she had to play her part just right, or her game would come to a screeching halt and she would lose.

"Did he hurt you, Midoriya?" Jiro asked accusingly, eying her bandages and scarred face.

"Yes…" she admitted. "Not on purpose but…" she rubbed the back of her head laughing a little. "It's hard to explain. I don't even know where to begin." She closed her eyes, took a deep long breath and lifted them again taking a serious tone. "Tenko is a troubled guy."

"We kinda figured that Midoriya…" Tsuyu put in and let out a small croak when izumi's impatient eyes turned to her.

"Yeah… to be honest he's not supposed to wander outside on his own. He… how should I put this… he's my responsibility." She hugged herself and let out a sour laugh.

"What do you mean?" Angry, Jiro stepped forward ready to knock down whatever bullshit excuse Izumi was gonna give. "How the hell is it your resposibility to take care of that asshole?"

"It's a long story… but I guess I'll start at the beginning." She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Back when we were kids Kacchan was my only friend. We've never really gotten along, and we disagreed on most things. I'd always been so shy and nervous all the time that I basically just gave into any and all of Kacchan's demands. It wasn't until I met Tenko that I started to change." She looked down at her hand. "I've always wanted to be a hero, but I was weak… I was told so often that it wasn't possible, that it was a dream I should give up on."

The girls avidly listened, all eyes trained in on her just the way she wanted. They were hanging on her every word and she knew she had them in the palm of her hand.

"Tenko was the first one to believe in me. He hates heroes, hates society and social groupings, but he saw something in me. He told me if I really wanted to be a hero, if I wanted to become strong… then he'd introduce me to some who could help. It was then I met my Sensei. He was an older man, sickly and suffering from wounds he'd received from an accident. Still he was smart, and he taught me a great deal. When my mother died…"

She trailed off and because the memory of her mother brought tears to her eyes Izumi used it to her advantage and let them well up.

"When she died I had no family who could take me in. I thought about asking to stay with Kacchan and his family as he was my only friend at the time… but it didn't seem right somehow. Sensei, even though he was sick adopted me… and all he asked in return was for my company. The man gave me everything I wanted; he trained me, taught me how to better control my quirk, gave me a roof over my head, money to spend, and all he asked in return was for me to keep him company."

"So, how does Shimura-kun fit into all this?" Uraraka asked when Izumi had to pause and wipe at her tears.

"I wasn't the only youth Sensei had taken in." She sniffed. "Because of how dangerous his quirk is Tenko doesn't have family or friends, and he fears the outside world. Sensei was doing what he could to help him, but all he was doing was indulging Tenko and giving him what he wanted. In the end Tenko became spoiled, and isolated. He relief on Sensei for everything, grew dependent on him and it crippled him further. Now that Sensei is dead I'm all that Tenko has left."

"So that's what you meant when you said he was your responsibility." Yaoyorozu concluded. "You're trying to help him."

Izumi nodded and lifted her head smiling tearily.

"You gotta understand, girls, he's not a bad guy. He doesn't know how to express his emotions in a way others can understand. He gets irrational, doesn't understand or comprehend when he can't get what he wants because Sensei was always there spoon feeding him. He loves me, in the only way he knows how, possessively, intimately. He gets nervous when I'm not around, gets jealous if I talk about other guys, and he wants my attention 24/7. I'm doing all I can to help him, to try and teach him that life doesn't always go the wya you want, but it's hard… and it's one of the reasons I enlisted Dr. Nakahara's help."

She rubbed her throat for affect.

"I know things couldn't stay the way they were. Dr, Nakahara was a friend of Sensei's and he's been helping me keep Tenko under control. I want to give Tenko freedom, and make him feel independent, but at the same time I know I can't just let him do what he wants. He's like an untrained puppy with sharp teeth and claws. I have to constantly discipline him, and tell him no which he doesn't like to hear. It's a work in progress… but he's learning."

She motioned to the damage to her face.

"I know this looks bad, I know it seems like he's abusing me and I'm his victim but that's not it at all. He's the victim in the story… he's the one who desperately needs help. As someone who wants to be a hero how can I just ignore that? How can I just turn him into a psych ward and forget that he exists? How can I abandon him like that? I won't do it. I know that's what every pro, every policeman, and every other person would tell me to do, but I won't do it!"

She turned determined eyes onto the girls. It wasn't a ploy any longer, but truth she was giving them. She let her passion and need to save Shigaraki be the clencher in her story.

"So I'm asking you girls to forget what you saw. I'm asking you not to tell a soul about Tenko, because if word got out about our relationship then they'd just take him away from me… and if he gets put into isolation again it'll only do one thing… it'll kill him." She grabbed Uraraka's hands looking pleading into her eyes.

"I want to save him, Ura-chan." She used the nickname, going for intimacy and reaching for that connection. "I want to help him and save him because I'm the only one who can. So please… please if you guys consider yourselves my friends then please don't tell anyone about what you saw!" She went to her knees and sniffed letting the tears fall down. "I'm begging you!"

The girls all exchange glances with each other. After a few silent moments, Uraraka's eyes turned determined and she knelt down by Izumi and hugged her tightly.

"I won't tell." She promised and lay her forehead on her shoulder. "I swear it."

"Me too…" In tears Ashido came on the other side of Izumi and joined the hug. One by one the girls all surrounded her, giving words of comfort and promises of their silence.

...It took all her willpower not to smirk in triumph.

"Thanks, you guys are the best."

**~Later at school~**

"Chuuuuuu!"

"Ah that's so much better…" Izumi removed the bandages from her throat and admired the healed skin in the mirror. "Thanks recovery girl."

"That's my job…" The elder lady crooned and tapped her cane agains the small of her back to get her attention again. "So tell me how you got those bruises, Midoriya?"

"Sparring partner… guy got a little too carried away." She said and rubbed the back of her head laughing. "Probably didn't help that I had his legs pinned behind him and he was trying to pull me off. I promise I'll be more careful."

"See that you do…" Though she didn't believe the excuse one bit, recovery girl let it go. Still she wrote a note to Nezu indicating the incident, and informed him she would be keeping a closer eye on Izumi's condition.

Izumi knew that she had eyes on her now. Abuse wasn't something the school was going to turn a blind eye to like her friends would, no matter what sob story she gave them. She would have to discuss that with Tomura when she got home, so that this wouldn't happen again. With her bruises healed, Izumi returned to the classroom all smiles and greetings.

"Morning everyone." She waved cheerfully doing her best to stay friendly and normal.

"Morning Midoriya… whoa what happened to your face?" Kaminari greeted but then jolted when he saw the scar.

"Ah this?" She touched the scar laughing. "Got a little carried away during training. Unfortunately it happened off campus so the damage was done before I could get recovery girl to heal it. Still I think it gives me character don't you?" She grinned wide, ignoring the girls who shifted their eyes away from her, staying silent.

"Damn it Usagi, be more careful you idiot!" Bakugo exploded at her and knocked her on the head when she passed by him. She rubbed at the sore spot and stuck her tongue out at him.

"Yes, daddy." She teased and turned to Todoroki smiling at him. "Morning, Todoroki-kun."

"Morning…" he approached her, and without even asking lifted a hand to trace the scar. Unable to help the reaction, Izumi's cheeks flushed and she lifted her eyes to his. "You sure you're alright?" Images of his own childhood flashed in his mind. The scar didn't look like a burn, but it was enough of a similarity to have the echoes of a boiling tea kettle whistling in his ears.

"Mmmm" her smile went from embarrassed to gentle and genuine. The sincerity of his words, and sadness in his eyes made it impossible for her to resist his touch. "I'm fine… thanks."

She leaned into his hand, the warm and soft touch such a contrast to Shigaraki's calloused and cool one. She wondered if all guys had their own unique touch, and taste… and was tempted to kiss him to find out. Since the urge to do so was growing stronger, and they had an audience, she pulled back and pat him on the cheek in return.

"How's your training going?"

"Steadily, yours?" he tucked his hands in his pockets to keep himself from touching her again.

"Massive improvement. I've got a few new tricks to debut. I can't wait to show them off at the festival." She grinned ear to ear.

"Oi…" Bakugo placed a hand on her head and forced her down into her seat. "Stop flirting with the rabbit, IcyHot, she's taken."

"Was I flirting?" Todoroki questioned with his usual stoic expression. "I thought we were just talking. At any rate aren't you the same as me?"

"Ha!?" Bakugo's temple throbbed. "The hell is that supposed to mean?"

"You're always touching Midoriya in some shape or form, and treating her like she's your possession."

"That's different. She's my responsibility and my pet, and I'll touch her as I like!" Bakugo interjected with a sneer.

"Oh really?" Izumi's temple throbbed at that and she turned hard eyes onto Bakugo. "Is that how it is, Kacchan?"

"That's right…" He squeezed her cheeks. "Since your boy toy is too shy to make introductions, I refuse to believe he even exists. So I'm claiming you now, Usagi."

"Oh but…" Yaoyorozu started to say something, but Izumi's sharp look cut her off.

"Hey…" Todoroki grabbed Bakugo's wrist pulling him away from Izumi. "Knock it off, Bakugo, that joke isn't funny."

"It's not a joke and don't touch me, Icy Hot." He smacked Todoroki's hand away. "You got something to say, then say it."

"Fine… if Midoriya says she has a boyfriend, then I believe her." Todoroki stood tall and put himself between Izumi and Bakugo. "Even if she didn't, with the way you treat here there's no way I'd let you get first dibs."

"Say what?" Bakugo sneered and now the whole class tuned into the conversation.

"Whoa… are the top two going head to head for Midoriya?" Kaminari grinned cheekily, anxious to watch the tension build.

"Alright, come you guys cool it!" Kirishima stood up and got between the two. "Class is gonna start soon, this isn't the time to fight."

"Stay out of this!" Both Todoroki and Bakugo shouted.

"Midori-chan." Uraraka pulled Izumi back. "Shouldn't you stop them? Better yet shouldn't you tell them about Tenko?"

"It's fine…" Izumi crossed her arms smirking at the two and raised her voice so the two would hear. "If the two hot shots wanna fight then it's fine with me. Just makes it easier for me to kick their asses come Festival time."

"Huh?" That got their attention and both of them turned their heads toward Izumi.

"I mean if you two are too busy fighting each other you're not gonna pay any attention to little ole me are you?" She pointed a finger at herself.

"Hey, don't go making assumptions, Usagi. I'll still-" Bakugo started to argue but Izumi cut him off immediately.

"It wasn't an assumption, it was a warning." She stepped forward and pressed a finger into his chest. "I don't care for the fact I'm considered a lump in the middle of this pack. I'm aiming for the top spot and both you and Todoroki are in my way. So I'm going to use any advantage you two give me." Her aura radiated with challenge, goosebumps prickled, and hairs stood on end as Izumi's smile turned confident and a bit sadistic. "You take your eyes off me for one second, I'll make you regret it."

**~Training Room: Free Period~**

"You declared war on Young Bakugo and Todoroki?" All Might questioned watching Izumi balance atop a long pole in the center of the room. Sweat dripped from her forehead and onto the floor. She'd long discarded the PE shirt so her black undershirt showed. The material was sticky with sweat and slid down some revealing her flat torso.

"That's right…" she said with a panting breath. She'd been in the same position for nearly an hour, and appreciate the conversation to help her train her focus.

"Bold decision… but not something I didn't expect from you. Despite the kindness in you, you have a character that appreciates a challenge and rises to meet it. It's admirable." He said with a smile.

"Admirable but stupid… is what you wanna say." She grit her teeth and finally gave into the ache in her arms and flipped down landing smoothly onto the concrete. She walked to him accepting the towel and water bottle he handed her so she could rehydrate. "If I'm picking fights with them, I won't see the enemies coming up behind me. I'm telling you now that's not the case."

"Oh?" Intrigued All Might held his chin. "You're saying you can isolate your opponents?"

"No, I'm saying I see the entire world as my opponent." She stretched out doing a clean back bend before flowing gracefully on her feet again. "I told someone recently that I see life as a game. Everyone I meet is a potential opponent or ally. I look at the big picture, see where they could do the most good, and categorize them where it suits me."

"That's an odd way of putting things." All Might rubs the back of his head.

"It's a metaphor, All Might… it means that I'm preparing for every potential outcome. I think of people's strengths, their weaknesses, their motives, their ambitions. I think of their potential growth, their resources, and I fit it into their possible strategy to use against me."

All Might's eyes spun and his face paled a bit when he tried to think in such a way.

"Y-Young Midoriya… that might be a bit much." Smoke came out of his ears and he slapped his cheeks to snap himself out of the tailspin she sent his head in. "You think way too much."

"Maybe… but my mind is my greatest weapon." She sat on the floor crossing her legs.

"It sounds to me that it's also your greatest weakness." He sat in front of her in a mirror position.

"What do you mean?" She narrowed her eyes at him.

"Well…" he tapped his temple. "Your tactical powers work in terms of strategy and play… but fights are often won through instinct and power. Some tactical prowess is good in a fight, but all the planning in the world will do little against someone who has more combat ability than you. Someone who moves on instinct and makes spur of the moment decisions, such as Young Bakugo, is hard to predict. You found that out during your combat training lesson."

"Yeah, but I won that lesson in the end didn't I?"

"True… but you had help. You said it yourself had it just been you and him he would have bested you."

Izumi frowned and she looked down at her hands scowling. She knew that Bakugo was combatively stronger than she was… but she could overcome that. Couldn't she?

"There you are, All Might sensei!" A face suddenly appeared out of the floor between the two. Izumi let out a squeak and jumped up and back holding her hands out in a defensive move. Though initially startled All Might laughed and stood up as the face became the body of a student in full costume gear.

"Ah Young Mirio, excellent timing to prove my point." He pat the boy on the shoulder and turned him to face Izumi. "Young Midoriya I'd like you to introduce Togata Mirio, he's a third year student, and my top pupil." He motioned towards her. "Mirio, this is Izumi Midoriya, I've told you about her."

"Ah yes!" Mirio walked over and eagerly took her hand. "The star of Class 1A. All Might sensei has told me much about you."

"R-R-Really?" She took his hand, eyes spinning as his tight grip and energetic shake move her entire upper torso. "I've never heard of you."

"You've heard of UA's Big Three haven't you?" All Might grinned. "Mirio, and two other students in his class are the future stars of UA and are all interning with Pros now."

"Something to look forward to," Mirio said and clasped her hands between his. "You'll enjoy internships, it's a wonderful opportunity to learn and experience what it's like as a pro. There's no better way to learn than on site. Experiences help you grow strong, right?"

"Don't I know it…" she murmured and laughed softly. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Senpai."

"Senpai…" Mirio's eyes got a twinkle. "Midoriya… may I call you Izumi?"

"Eh!?" Izumi's face flushed when he got in close. "Why?"

"After everything All Might sensei has told me, I feel like we should be close friends. Please give me the honor of calling you that. You may call me Togata or even just Mirio would be fine."

"Al-Alright, Mirio then." She pulled back and tucked hair behind her ear. "Uh listen, I've got to get back to training what with the Festival coming up and all."

"Training!?" Mirio's eyes went brilliant and he whirled around on All Might. "Sensei, may I train with Izumi?!"

"EH?!" Izumi's face went blue.

"What a splendid idea. Midoriya I'll go fetch your hero costume. You'll want to be combat ready when training with this one." He pat Mirio's shoulder.

"W-W-Wait All Might, that…" flustered and confused Izumi wasn't sure how to handle the situation. Just who the hell was this guy? Why did he want to get close to her? How did he appear out of the floor? What was his quirk exactly? So many questions and scenarios ran through her head and made her face go bright red.

"Izumi-chan…" Mirio turned to her when All Might left the room. "All Might… he really likes you, you know."

"Huh?" Izumi's nervous expression fell and she stood straight. "What do you mean?"

"It's not just because he talks about you… it's in his expression when he does." He tapped his face right between the eyes. "When he talks to the third years, he's all business and professional… but for his personal students, those he takes personal interest in, he has a kinship with them. He softens up, gives them more attention, and inwardly cheers them on."

"I see… and you think he feels that way about me?" She smiled coyly.

"I know he does." Mirio turned around. "When we train together, he will often say something along the lines of "Oh I should tell this to Midoriya, or that's something Midoriya will benefit from." I really wanted the chance to meet you so I can see just what kind of person you are. This spar between us will be a proper introduction. He has high hopes for you. So I hope you won't disappoint him."

Izumi caught the look in his eyes and her lips curved into a smirk. So… Izumi thought… this was a challenge.

"You put me at a disadvantage, Mirio. All Might has told you much about me, but I know next to nothing about you." She put her hands on her hips. "Not exactly a fair fight, is it?"

"No… but then again on the field rarely do you come across villains in which you are fully disclosed on their abilities. So consider this a realistic training exercise."

"Alright…" Izumi held out her hands in welcome. "Teach me well… Senpai."

All Might arrived, but he didn't arrive alone. Two other students followed him in, a female Izumi recognized as Nejire Hado, a third year who was interning with Lady Dragon. She didn't recognize the second student, but his dark and ominous face made his presence intimidating.

"Togata-kun! Togata-kun! We came to watch your fight!" Hado said with a bounce and then rushed to Izumi. "Hey, hey, you're Izumi Midoriya, right!? It's a pleasure, I can't wait to watch you fight." She went on and on, firing questions as she escorted Izumi to the bathroom so she could change into her costume.

"Mirio…" Amajiki, the ominous boy approached his friend and classmate. "You really shouldn't do this. She's only a first year."

"Maybe, but she has All Might's stamp of approval. So I'm curious." He gave a thumbs up. "No worries, I'm wearing my costume so there's no chance she'll see my willie."

"That's not what I-" he started to protest but Izumi came out in her costume, adjusting her gloves. "Oh boy."

"You ready, Izumi-chan?" Mirio rolled his shoulders and bounced on his toes. For some reason he was excited to see what she would do.

"Ah…" Izumi took center stage in the training room and All Might pulled back Hado and Amajiki so they could watch from the sidelines. "As ready as I'll ever be."

She had to be prepared for anything, Izumi thought and focused her quirk. She didn't know anything about this guy except that he had some kind of phasing quirk. She would have to stay on the defensive, stay fluid and alert and figure the best way to attack. She took a long deep breath and focused her eyes on him.

"Alright… begin!" All Might raised his hand and Izumi went into a defensive stance, her fingers already itching over the projectiles in her pouch. Calm and smiling Mirio vanished from sight, and Izumi's eyes widened.

He disappeared… no he phased… he's approaching me from a blind spot which means. She wrapped herself in a tight barrier just as Mirio's fist launched out and caught her side. She let out a quick sound of surprise when his punch vibrated against her energy and soaked up the damage he would have done.

"Ooooh… interesting…" Mirio let his guard drop as Izumi brought down her arms but kept the barrier wrapped around her. "You didn't know if my phasing would be able to go through, so you kept the barrier in close proximity to your body knowing I was aiming to hit you. Smart, very smart."

Izumi didn't wait, the moment his guard was down she kept the barrier around her body and aimed a high kick for his head which went right through him. She was right… if she had sent the barrier too far away he would have gone right through it and hit her.

This was fine then… so long as she kept her quirk focused on protection she'd be able to concentrated her body on attack. Keeping that in mind she went into a flurry of punches and kicks, all of which he either blocked or phased through. Though he did hit back, her barrier absorbed any damage he intended.

"I see, I see… it would seem I'll need to kick things up a notch." Mirio danced back and stretched. "Perhaps I'll use ten percent instead of five."

"Say what?" Izumi's eyes went wide.

"Mirio don't-" Amajiki held out his hands nervously and had to look away as Izumi let out a screech. The next punch knocked her back and she skidded across the floor. She wasn't hurt, but that punch had more power behind it.

"Amazing, Izumi-chan!" Mirio complimented. "You truly are a rare talent." He rushed her again. The moment Izumi was on her feet he punched her right in the stomach and even though her barrier was up Izumi felt this one, and her eyes went wide and her breath whooshed out making her choke and spit.

Her quirk wavered and she soon caved to her knees clutching her stomach shaking.

"I win… but you put up a good fight, Izumi. Keep it up and I know you'll become a great hero!" He pat her shoulder. "Let's have lunch together sometime, okay?" He smiled at her and pulled back waving his friends for them to leave.

Izumi stayed where she was, her face pale and eyes wide with disbelief at what just happened. What in the hell was that? Who the hell was that?

"You alright, Little Midori?" All Might held his hand out to help her up but she slapped it away.

"All Might…" she wheezed. "Tell that third year to get back here." She laughed as her eyes got a wicked gleam. That power… that raw and potent strength was exactly what she needed to overcome. It may be impossible for her to beat Mirio before the Sports Festival, but that wasn't her concern. What she needed was someone who could help her overcome those who outclassed her in strength. Togata Mirio was the perfect tool she needed to rise to the top of her class.

"Our training session isn't done."

_**~Ask Briry~**_

_**Briry: Mirio Togata has entered the storyline! Just what sort of role will he play? You'll find out in due time. Next chapter the Sports Festival is finally here and I'm anxious to reveal my plans for such a grand occasion!**_

_**Next Chapter: A Race for the Top **_


	18. Race to the Top

**Midori the Villain**

**Chapter 18: Race to the Top**

Due to Izumi's eager insistence Mirio agreed to train Izumi for the rest of the week leading up to the Sports festival. Due to their difference in power he made sure to keep One for All off and worked on building up her strength, endurance, and stamina.

In the end Izumi wound up back in the infirmary drained and covered in bruises, but smiling despite the hurt and ache her body was put through. It made her all the more interesting.

"So tell me, Mirio my boy, what do you think of her." All Might asked with a broad smile and confidence. "Impressive, isn't she?"

"Ah, I like her." Mirio nodded. "She's smart, and she uses her quirk exactly the way she needs to. All she needs now is to become more physically opposing. Once her body and quirk catch up to her mind there'll be no stopping her."

"Can I count on you then, my boy, to see to that?" He pats Mirio's shoulder.

"Yessir!" Mirio pumped his fists. "This was so exciting… her determination and spirit are above any of the other students I've met. However…" his stance faltered some.

"However?" When Mirio stopped walking and All Might turned to face him.

"Izumi… she seems a bit broken inside, don't you think?" He tapped a finger between his eyes. "Her eyes… they're so expressive it's hard not to notice."

"Ah… so you see it too, don't you?" All Might nodded his looked around and pulled Mirio into the nearby empty classroom and closed the door. He let his form drop and he turned to face his student and protege. "She's a troubled soul, Mirio. She wants to become strong. Strong enough to overcome the tragedies she's experienced in life. In truth, I initially wanted to give One for All to Izumi. You saw for yourself the kind of drive and determination she had, the kind who strives to better herself and the world around her. She's very protective of those she cares about. They're all good qualities for a hero, and something I look for personally… but it's those broken pieces you see inside her that ultimately made me choose you as my successor."

"I see…" Mirio nodded. "It's her hunger for power that's forcing her to cut off parts of herself. She believes that her kindness, and gentleness is a weakness, and you're worried that if you had given her the power she would have cut off the parts of her soul that you found admirable in the first place."

"Exactly…" All Might smiled at Mirio, knowing he would understand.

"Alright then…" Mirio pumped his fists. "I'll make it my sworn duty to help Izumi. I won't let her break, All Might. You can count on me. I stake my reputation as a hero on it." he jerked a thumb to himself smiling.

"That's my boy." He pat Mirio on the shoulder and beefed up again. "Now then, time to get back to our own training."

**~Several days later~**

"What are you doing?" Tomura leaned over the back of the couch watching as Izumi's fingers fly across a tablet her eyes were focused on.

"It's a mind memory game. I'm training my body day and night to make it strong, but I gotta make sure my mind stays just as strong." She told him without missing a beat. She nodded her head motioning him to sit, and without a word he obliged her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder playing the game by watching her over her shoulder.

"I saw the new entry in your journal…" he tapped the screen for her when she paused her hands at his comment. "Who's Togata Mirio?"

"My Senpai…" she explained and turned off the game to lean into him. "...and All Might's protege."

"Seriously?" Interest piqued he pulled back to turn her face to him. "You found him?"

"He found me, actually. Popped out of the floor during one of my training sessions. Says All Might's been talking to him about me." She set the tablet on the table and stood up to pace. "Talking… telling me that All Might has taken special interest, and that he cares about me."

"Humph," irritation read on Tomura's face. "Like hell."

"Maybe he does, maybe he doesn't, but the fact is that Mirio believes it and he's taking a liking to me as well. So I've been using it to my advantage." She stopped pacing and turned. "He's strong, Tomura… stronger than any student, or any Pro aside from All Might that I've ever seen. If he truly is All Might's successor there's no way I can defeat as I am now."

"You want to kill him?"

"I wish it were that easy, but killing is never the right answer with people like All Might and Mirio. There are too many people who like and respect them and the world would just hate us, and rally against us if we kill them outright." She shook her head. "No, killing isn't the answer, not for them."

"Then what?" Tomura stood and waved his hand. "What's the plan, Izumi? We've got nothing. Kurogiri has been searching for that dip Hero Killer so we can build allies, but he's got nothing. It's like trying to catch a shadow."

"Where there's a shadow, there's a form that's making it. Continue to follow the shadow and focus on narrowing its location." She told him and paced again. "In the meantime you could be reaching out to some of the other contacts in the black market… seeing if there's anyone that would be interested in doing business with us." She ran fingers through her hair. "There's this guy I heard of the last time I was there. His name is Giran and he's some kind of broker. Find him, talk to him, and see about getting us some allies. I'll be more than willing to pay his fee."

"Alright, we gather allies and then what? What comes next, how are you planning on taking down All Might and hero society without killing them?"

"Time is killing All Might for us… sooner or later he'll run out of power and the whole world will know they don't have a symbol of peace to hide behind." She looked up at Tomura. "Mirio will be next in line, but he won't be a hero until after he graduates. You leave him to me, and focus on gathering forces to our cause." She walked over and smoothed out his wrinkled shirt. "For god's sake Tomura, make some friends why don't you?"

"I don't have friends because I don't want friends." He took her chin smirking. "Only you… a King doesn't need friends so long as he has his queen at his side and pawns to play."

"Even a King needs a friendly ally or two. I'm not asking you to join a club, or sing kumbaya with a bunch of hippies. I'm asking you to find people you can respect… people with power or skills you can use," She touched his face. "People you'll make an exception for when it does come time to kill off those that don't follow your order."

"Fine… I'll make friends." He leans in and nuzzles noses with her. "Only because you asked."

"Mmmm good." she kissed him sweetly and held him off when he tried to deepen it. "The festival is tomorrow. I need to be in top form." She bit his bottom lip. "Watch me dominate the competition."

"My money is on you…" he stroked fingers along her neck and up to her cheek. "My Queen."

**~Day of the Festival~**

Izumi played the same game she had the day before as they waited for people to take their seats. With her eyes focused and mind expanding she let Yaoyorozu play with her hair, running a brush through the short curls and braiding the sides to keep them out of her face. Since the girls gave their word to stay silent about Tomura… or Tenko as they knew him… Izumi was more indulgent of their friendly acts.

She conversed about fashion, movies, and other girly conversations, taking note that they tiptoed around the "romance" category. She wasn't sure if she found it endearing that they would think of her feelings on the matter, or if she found it annoying and insulting. There was nothing wrong with her love life. Despite his rough and hard edges Tomura loved her. It showed in his every action, it showed in the way he listened and respected her. Even the times when he raised a hand to her it was because he had yet fully grasped how to handle the outburst of his emotions.

… but he was learning. She was teaching him how to expand his social prowess, showing him how to gain favor with others. He listened, and when he listened he learned. It was all a matter of time.

"Midoriya…" Todoroki's voice broke her concentration and she ended the game so she could look up. Here was another who claimed to have feelings for her. He and Kacchan both expressed in their own ways how they felt. Kacchan was a lot like Tomura, possessive, jealous, and not sure how to properly express his feelings. Todoroki was the exact opposite. He was sweet natured despite his stoic expression and cold temper. He genuinely thought about her happiness and well being. He genuinely wanted to protect her and cherish her.

It was a pity that neither of them could understand the depths of her feelings for Tomura. It was a pity that long before she understood their intentions toward her she'd been tangled up in the dark web of villainy, and there was no escaping it.

"Yeah, Todoroki-kun?" She stood up to meet him. "What is it?"

"I've been thinking about what you said." He explained, hands tucked casually and confidently in his pockets. "You want to be the top student, and I respect that. I accept your challenge, and I hope you won't think ill of me when I say that I'm better than you, and I won't let you beat me."

Izumi narrowed her eyes on his. Something had drastically changed in his demeanor since the time she made her declaration of war. His cold temper was back, but there was something else… something fierce hiding behind those dual pigment eyes. The guy had something to prove, and had found the motivations to make it happen.

"Hmmmm…" Izumi's smile turned up slow and confident. She would test this new resolve of his. "Good. I'm glad you feel that way." She held out her hand as if to shake it faithfully. When his palm met hers she pulled him down and placed a firm kiss on his lips that had everyone in the room jolting to their feet, Bakugo especially.

"WHAT THE FUCK USAGI!"

"W-Wha…" Todoroki staggered when Izumi pulled back, her eyes lit with confidence. His face was bright red and his eyes full of emotion and puzzlement.

"A kiss for good luck." She pat his chest and turned to Bakugo. "Would you like one too, Kacchan?"

"ME! ME! ME! ME!" Mineta waved his hands around erratically. "I'll take one GAH!" He fell over when Bakugo punched him.

"Fat chance, shrimp!" He waved his fist and narrowed his eyes on Izumi. "You... I don't know what game you're playing at Usagi, but you're not gonna shake me down! I'll fucking kill you."

"Oh…" She walked to him, smirked when he bristled like a cat. She took his chin in her hands, loved the fact he was frozen and couldn't move against her. She leaned in breathed on his lips. "I can't wait to see you try."

**~The Arena~**

"Hey! Is everyone ready?" Present Mic called from the media box, with Aizawa at his side still bandaged from shoulder to fingers on both sides. "It's time for festivities to begin! Now introducing the class that took on a group of villains and all lived to tell the tale. It's Hero Class 1A!"

Class 1A strolled out together in a formed group, a mix of excitement and nerves shared amongst the classmates. Izumi felt her own jitters, felt the tingles in her fingertips and butterflies in her stomach. Still there was a rush of adrenaline she hadn't come down from. She already made her mark, already shaken her opponents with her words and actions and she couldn't wait for the events to get started.

As the rest of the classes lined up beside them Izumi took stock of them. Hero class 1B had an interesting selection of people. As for the rest of the courses only a few people stood out as potential threats, but for the most part Izumi didn't think the lot of them would be much trouble. The first event would weed out the stragglers and bring forth the ones who took the game and competition seriously…

"Now for the student pledge! Representing the first years is Izumi Midoriya!"

"Eh? Midoriya?" Kaminari whispered. "Why was she chosen?"

"Well she did get first place in the entrance exam." Iida explained.

"In the hero course, anyway!" A general ed student called out bitterly and had him and several others hanging their heads.

"Whoa, doesn't look like they like us very much." Kirishima whispered.

"Yeah, thanks to Izumi and Bakugo no less."

Izumi heard the chatter behind her and had to smirk. Yeah let them talk… let them hate… only one thing mattered when it came to this festival. She tapped the mic and looked out over the crowd giving a friendly smile.

"I'm not very good at speeches so I'll just say the first thing that comes to mind." She spoke sweetly and slowly let the smile turn into a smug smirk. "I pledge to overcome any obstacle you throw at me, any trick you'll use to fool me, and any enemy you lay before me. I came here to do one thing, and one thing only. I came to win. I PLEDGE…" she raised her voice, her eyes fierce with competitive spirit. "...That if anyone or anything stands in my way…" she held out her hands with a come hither motion. "I'll take it down by any means necessary… so bring it on!"

Izumi's pledge got a mix of responses. Those she hyped up, those who were insulted by her obvious boasting, and several whom she intimidated or frightened with her gestures and voice. Those that would fight against her would now fight with everything they had… and those that didn't have the will or spirit to take on her challenge would crumble before the game even started.

"The first sift has already been made…" All Might murmured and had to smile. "... and she's the one who made it."

"She's got guts, I'll give her that." Snipe commented and leaned back in his seat. "Let's just hope she has the bite to go with her bark."

"Oh I don't doubt she's got the bite…" All Might leaned forward with his hands on his knees. "The real question is, is just how big is that bite?"

**~Front Gate~ **

Todoroki shook himself off, trying to push away the kiss and everything that it brought. Damn it, she'd warned him, and he still fell for it. She was gonna use any trick she had at her disposal, any moment of hesitation to her advantage, and use it to win. He didn't have the luxury to lose, he had too much to prove to let her get into his head like that.

His eyes searched the crowd, and immediately he spotted his father, lit like a beacon in the higher rafters. His temper went icy and he grit his teeth. Whatever he felt for Izumi, he had to push it down. She wasn't a victim, she had told him often enough that she didn't need his protection, his sympathy, or his affections so why waste the time? His eyes found her amongst the crowd of students, ignoring everyone around her and keeping her focus on the task at hand.

"This is how it should be… I should have never given you a second glance." Todoroki whispered and shut his eyes. The ache in his chest would fade away… the need and longing he had for her would fade away… "I won't let you stand in my way."

"That damn rabbit…" Bakugo cracked his knuckles and stretched out his body. "What the hell was she thinking kissing that damned Icy Hot. I swear to christ if I ever get the hands on the man that turned her into a slut, I'll murder him."

What the hell happened to his sweet and innocent Usagi? The Usagi he knew would have never blatantly used a kiss to fluster her opponent. She would never flirt or use her body to gain advantage, she would never so boldly declare war on the entire first year class.

"I'll change you back…" he eyed the back of Izumi's head as she stretched and admired the door with a puzzled look. "I'll turn you back into the soft, and gentle Usagi I've always known… by making you beg for my mercy."

Something felt off, Izumi realized as they crowded around the gate. Something about this situation felt off and somehow familiar. She grunted when someone bumped her from behind and her eyes flickered with realization.

"The evacuation…" she whispered and turned around working her way to the back of the pack.

"Midori-chan? Where are you going?"

"I don't feel like being trample today!" She called out and stood to the back of the line and crouched down. If she was right… all of the students would rush for the door, their instinctive need to push forward and come out first ingrained into their brains. The corridor was too narrow and would cause them all to scuffle and huddle close. The ones up front would break away… but just how many would stay in the lead once the bulk of the faster and more powerful runners got ahead?

She watched the light turn yellow signaling the runners to get ready. Think, Izumi, Think… she couldn't get caught behind them so she would need to go around them. She wasn't confident she could fly above the group fast enough before her quirk would waver. She would end up stuck in the middle. If that was the case…

"It'd be better if I just make my own path…" her lips twitched and her hands flexed out. When the light went green she immediately acted. Before the doors could open Izumi created a wide barrier splitting the group apart. Trapped and unable to move they banged against the solid wall as Izumi raced past them and through the gate.

"WHOA!" Present Mic shouted over the speakers. "Izumi Midoriya didn't waste anytime taking the lead!"

"What the hell!?" Kaminari pressed his hands against the barrier trying to shock it. "Since when can Midoriya do that!?"

"No fair!" Uraraka pushed up and tripped a little when it finally flickered away and allowed the mass of students to crowd through again. As Izumi predicted the whole student body crowded together trying to fit through the tunnell, pushing, shoving, as they ran after the leader.

"Damn… The bigger the object, the shorter the time I cna hold the form." Izumi muttered as she glanced back. She had hoped the barrier would last at least until she got closer to the end of the tunnell. She still had a fair lead, but with quick runners like Iida right behind her she knew that distance wasn't enough to give her a real advantage.

She would have to be careful from here on out. This race was a battle for stamina and endurance. She had become fairly athletic, but with her quirk relying heavily on her own energy she needed to sustain as much as she could. Whatever quirk use she pulled from now on had to be small but effective.

As she breached the end of the tunnell her breath started to come out in vapors and she squealed as ice nearly trapped her feet under her. She jumped just in time but slipped and skidded. She turned her head just as Todoroki ran ahead of her and she cursed.

"Damn you, Todoroki!" She turned her shoes into skates and glide across the ice. Behind her she could feel her classmates rush and gaining. "So much for my early lead."

Calm down, she told herself. It was still early in the race. She couldn't lose her cool just because her advantage was taken away. Keeping up her pace she didn't break concentration when Mineta flew overhead, throwing down sticky balls to avoid slipping on the ice. He quickly gained on Todoroki, and she skated and zipped through the obstacles keeping them in her line of site.

She saw the robot before Mineta and without even thinking formed a disc out of her energy and sent it flying. The moment Mineta was knocked out of the air, her disc cut the robot in half and she rushed right past it.

The entire first opening was crowded with robots of every size. As everyone else stopped to gawk and contemplate their next move both she and Todoroki were already moving in. As she cut down any small robot in her path, Todoroki skid across the ground with his ice and unleashed a huge blizzard that froze the robots in place. When he moved, so did she not missing a single beat.

"Hey he froze them solid! Run through their legs!" She heard a student call out and shook her head at the stupidity.

"I wouldn't!" Todoroki warned them. "I froze them when they were off balance! They'll fall over!"

As if on cue the huge robot thawed and broke apart creating a nice gap between himself and the rest of the students. He looked behind him, seeing Izumi had been following him the entire time. She'd used his movements to convert her own, making her slip right into the lead with him. He grit his teeth in frustration. Damn she was good.

Damn he was good, Izumi thought and gave him a wicked grin. She was right to slip into his blind spot and follow his movements. Had she attempted to move on her own she would have either been crushed under the robot, or been stuck on the opposite side. Now the two of them had a huge lead over the others.

"Nice moves, Todoroki-kun." She jogged up so they ran side by side. "Though that was a little dangerous, freezing them while they were off balance like that. You could have killed someone."

"My apologies…" He muttered but kept his eyes focused ahead of him.

"You still mad that I kissed you?" She turned her head forward, panting a little from the exertion.

"Mad isn't the word I would use…" He sneered. "At any rate I've decided to forget about it."

"Oooh harsh…" she mock winced. "Oh well, I suppose it's for the best. I like you better this way anyway."

"Huh?" He glanced over at her. "What do you mean?"

"I like you competitive, and giving it your all." She winked. "Far more satisfying… I can't wait to see you go all out."

"What makes you think…" he skidded to a halt when they reached the second obstacle. Izumi too stopped and eyed the wide open gaps between pillars.

"Whoa, when the hell did they make this course?" She whistled and looked around. Spotting the shortest distant jumps she backed up and made a leap, her arms and hands floating allowing her to land safely. Todoroki in turn froze the wires connecting each pillar so he could glide across them smoothly. He gained fast momentum, able to jettison across faster than izumi could work her way from stone to stone.

By the time she got halfway across the stones, more of their classmates had made it and were making their way across the pit. She paid them no mind, tried to keep her focus on the task of going stone to stone and balancing her quirk so she wouldn't fall.

"Almost there," she whispered and made the next leap.

"Outta my way, Usagi!" Bakugo shouted the two of them nearly colliding with each other as he exploded past. The shock of it had Izumi's focus wavering and she fell. Screaming she latched onto the wire and clung on for dear life. Her heart jumped into her chest and she wrapped herself around it giving herself a moment to calm down before shimmying along the wire and to the final stone.

She panted, and sweat, her eyes glaring up at the exploding ball of temper that was gaining on Todoroki.

"Okay… now I'm pissed!"

Meanwhile Todoroki had made it to the final obstacle, the minefield trickier than he initially thought. He skimmed and cautiously made his way across the field, finding more and more places to avoid the further ahead he went. This left him at a disadvantage… those in the lead didn't know where the bombs were set or what path to take while those behind would have more room to maneuver especially once the bombs started going off.

He heard several explosion behind him, and tried to ignore them… but as they got close his head whipped around just in time to avoid Bakugo's attack.

"When you made your little declaration, you made it to the wrong person!" Bakugo exclaimed and shoved at him. "I'll beat you and that stupid rabbit!"

"Arrogant much?" Todoroki sneered and froze Bakugo's arm trying to stall the explosions and cut Bakugo's speed.

Izumi, now back in the race, made it to the third obstacle and immediately locked her eyes on the leaders. Bakugo's little stunt had shaken her and made her lose so much focus she was having a hard time controlling her quirk. Her emotions were on a short fuse and she could feel the control wanting to slip. If she wasn't careful she'd trigger the explosions without even meaning to.

"I don't have much energy left, I won't be able to make anything big, or fly over the mines to close the distance… if I just walk across carefully I won't be able to catch up to todoroki and Kacchan." She grit her teeth as more students started to move ahead of her.

Think! THINK! There had to be a faster way, she had to figure out how to run across without touching the mines. There…

"Without touching…" she looked down at the ground and narrowed her eyes. "I wonder." she surrounded her feet in her energy and created a small foot barrier at the bottom of her shoe. She took a testing step forward atop a mine waiting for it to explode. When it didn't she let out a whooshing breath and smirked. "I've got you."

Her eyes flipped up and she sprinted forward. As if creating a path only she could follow she let out small little bubbles of energy through the bottom of her feet that hovered just above the mines preventing her weight from triggering them.

She sprinted straight past all of the others who were doing their best to avoid the mines. Many of them gawked at her as she ran straight across without care or falter. She had Todoroki and Bakugo in her sights, the two of them shoving at each other, fighting and she gave them a wide berth blowing a kiss as she zipped past.

"Have fun boys!"

"Midoriya!?"

"Usagi!"

She cleared the minefield, both Todoroki and Bakugo right behind her but her ability to avoid all the mines had given her a good strong lead. She felt her energy waning and she pushed herself, the strain on her legs and burn in her chest was so painful but she pushed past it. She saw the final tunnell and ran right into it. Just a little further she told herself… just a little more!

Her hand stretched out for the light ahead of her, her victory just inches away…

...her leg cramped, giving her just a moment's hesitation and allowing Todoroki to zip ahead of her.

"THE WINNER OF THE FIRST ROUND IS SHOTO TODOROKI!"

Izumi stumbled the last few steps cursing and rolling on the ground as she desperately tried to inhale oxygen into her lungs. The roar of the crowd that cheered for Todoroki was all a mute compared to the loud pounding of her heartbeat in her ears. She cursed over and over and felt the tears sting her eyes. She rolled onto all fours beating a fist into the dirt.

"Damn it!" She slowly lifted her head taking a look at the standings. Her rage boiled further to see not only had she not come in first… but she came in third. Both Todoroki and Bakugo had pulled ahead just moments ahead of her stealing the top two spots. "DAMN IT!"

"Usagi…"

"Midoriya…"

Still on her knees Izumi looked up, both boys towering over her, silhouetted by the bright sun and flashes of the camera. In her head she remembered the students in her classroom hovering around her, calling her worthless quirkless, laughing at her, shunning her… and her eyes went sharp and angry.

"I don't need your help." she slapped their hands away and stood up glaring at them both. "Don't get used to the top you two… because this game has only just begun!"

_**~Ask Briry~**_

_**Briry: I was gonna wait to post this tomorrow, but it just flowed out so I decided to go ahead and upload it now. I hope you all enjoyed it!**_

_**Next Chapter: Calvalry Craze**_


	19. Calvalry Craze

**Midori the Villain**

**Chapter 19: Calvalry Craze**

**~Gran Torino Residence~**

The humble flat in which he called home was a fixer upper. After finishing his teaching career, Gran Torino had spent most of his time earning a fair wage doing mild hero work, and occasionally helping the police with investigation reports. Now that he was in his retirement years he contemplated on relieving himself of his hero status… but a letter from his former pupil changed his mind.

With the U. Festival playing in the background he reread the letter's contents to himself.

_Greetings! It feels like summer is just around the corner. I hope this letter finds you well, sir. I myself have become a teacher at U.A. as I initially wanted to find a worthy successor to my power. Now that I have found such a person I'm happy enlightening the minds of young and eager students, and watching them take their first steps into our world. _

_The young man which I have bestowed upon my power is name Togata Mirio. He wasn't my first choice, but Principal Nezu had directed me to a true hero, and someone who I know will carry on my legacy as the next symbol of peace. He was already well on his way to becoming the top hero before I even granted him "One for All" and I know that the power I've given him will be used well and with purpose. He has his own goals, and his own methods, but the core of our hearts beat as one, and I've enjoyed working with him._

_Still, my initial plan was to bestow my quirk upon a young lady, someone who continues to impress and surprise me every day with her growth. I marvel at her bravery, and natural leadership abilities. Im impressed by her keen intellect and tactical prowess, and have grown fond of her open heart. In the end I chose young Mirio because I fear the burdens I would put upon this lady would be too much for her to bear. She's a fragile soul hiding behind a tough and confident exterior. She puts on a smile for the world, but inwardly weeps for the tragedies she's been forced to endure. I see much of myself in her; in the way she strives for greatness and acceptance, and in the way she hides her fear behind a smile. I have not told her about One for All nor do I plan to… but I can't help but want to protect her, and help the crying child hiding behind the facade. _

_These two youths, Togata Mirio, and Izumi Midoriya, are two individuals whom I believe will have a deep impact on what the world will become. I'm still inexperienced as a teach, and there may come a time when I may trouble you, my old teacher, to help me guide them to their future. I am counting on you when that day finally comes. _

_Sincerely, Yours._

_Toshinori Yagi. _

"This girl…" He looked up at the screen, watching the replays of the first event including Izumi's rush to first, and then ending on her stumbling defeat into third. The anger was apparent on her face, but just as Toshinori had described in his letter the anger was a facade, to hide the hurt and frustration she was feeling. "...there may be more hiding other than fear and sadness behind those eyes, Toshinori."

**~Back at the Sports Festival~**

"Hey has anyone seen Kaminari or Mineta?" Tsuyu questioned, looking around and then up at the board. "Did they not make it through to the next round?"

"They're both in the infirmary. Mineta was found under a pile of robot parts completely knocked out. As for Kaminari he expelled too much electricity trying to get through Izumi's barrier and when he started taking down robots his brain couldn't take much more." Tohru told her.

"Wow taken out so early in the game… what a couple of idiots." Jiro snorted and Izumi stayed silent feeling a bit guilty at having caused those two eliminations. Kaminari was stupid at wasting his quirk trying to get through her barrier… but she supposed it was her fault that after Mineta got knocked down by a robot near the start of the race, she'd added to it by slicing through a battalion and burying him under the rubble with no regard for his well being.

She'd totally lost her cool, Izumi realized gritting her teeth. She talked big and made all those declarations about taking every advantage and still Bakugo and Todoroki had come out on top.

"Damn it…" he rubbed her sore calf, and sipped at her water mixture. She'd added a few vitamin and natural energy stimulants to that Doctor Nakahara gave her to help recuperate between events. Once the final 42 students were placed and their standings listed the next event was announced. It was a calvalry battle, and each student that passed the preliminary was given a point value depending on what place they finished. Since she came in third she had 200, which she admitted wasn't bad considering Todoroki wound up with 10 million.

Despite being an obvious target the guy was surrounded by people who wanted to be on his side. With his incredible quirk, and reputation as one of the top members of their class there was confidence in his abilities. Bakugo was the same way, she noticed, earning a fair amount of attention from their classmates. She got attention too… but Izumi didn't care for her options. As much as she like Hagakure, Jiro, and the other girls she needed to approach this next event differently than before... rationally, and strategically.

Taking a deep breath she sat down, crossed her legs and allowed her mind to clear. She would approach this next challenge calmly, and methodically. She needed teammates, strong teammates with strong but compatible quirks. Her quirk use was limited, she had small stature which didn't provide her with much body strength. She was best suited as a rider. She needed horses, preferably stronged back horses who wouldn't have much qualm handling her weight. Opening her eyes she scanned the crowd and spotted an immediate target.

"Shoji!" She jumped to her feet rushing past the people who had crowded around for her attention. Since his back was to her she jumped and grabbed one of his strong arms holding it to her chest while her wide expressive eyes did their best to sway him. He turned to look at her, and immediately was hooked by her eager expression.

"I need a strong horse, Shoji. You're the first person that came to mind. Will you join my team?"

"Uh…" He hadn't quite figured out how he wanted to utizilize his abilities. He knew he was better suited as a horse than a rider with his tall dominating appearance, but wasn't sure who would best pair with him. It didn't matter anyway. Any and all ideas he had had flown out the window the moment Izumi trained those big green eyes on him. "Okay."

"Great! You're the best!" She grinned and gave him a quick cuddle. She found her muscle… now she needed someone with a strong quirk, preferably with both defensive and offensive abilities. She ran through a list of her classmates until she found a suitable match.

"Tokoyami…" she murmured and searched the crowd again. She found him playing a wallflower at the back of the crowd and she shoved her way through people and grabbed his hand pulling him over.

"Midoriya?"

"Hey mind joining my team?" She said with a sweet smile hoping to get on his good side. His calm and cool exterior made it hard for her to gage his reaction.

"I don't have any other prospects so I don't see why not. Do you have a solid plan on what you want to do?"

Ah, that's right, Tokoyami was a method thinker as well. He took these kind of battles and events seriously, and would appreciate a good strategy.

"Nothing concrete…" She admitted. "Calvalry battles are hard to predict, especially when you're not sure what kind of matchips you'll be dealing with. I thought it best to enlist strong defensive players so we can be prepared for pretty much anything."

"I see… sensible thinking." he nodded in approval.

"Thanks. I've already enlisted Shoji who is a walking tank, but in terms of quirk use I could use your help. Dark Shadow is omni-directional isn't he? He'll be able to keep an eye on my blind spots while I focus on attacking and collecting points.

"Interesting…" her murmured and smiled. Izumi raised a brow at the unexpected gesture. "My quirk's offensive ability gets stronger when I'm in darkness… but it becomes aggressive and difficult to control. On the other hand it's easy to control in sunlight, but at the cost of its attack power."

"I didn't know that…" Izumi made a mental note to add that to her journal later. "Dark Shadow seemed similar to my quirk, enegy that is able to change shape and forml, but it's really just an entity all its own isn't it?"

"Yes… and you knew exactly how to use my quirk, without really knowing its full capabilities. Your instincts were right on point to enlist me." He lifted his eyes and held out his hand to her. "I'll continue to trust upon that."

"Looking forward to it." she held his hand and she crowded together with him and Shoji.

"What about a fourth player? Hagakure's enlisted Sato and it looks like Bakugo has Kirishima so a lot of the strong physical fighters are taken." Shoji pointed out.

"We may be alright as we are." She looked to the side frowning a little when she saw Uraraka had been enlisted by Todoroki and was standing next to Iida. She'd expected Uraraka to come to her since they were friends… but she'd sided with Todoroki instead.

Why did that sting?

"I'd hoped to enlist Uraraka so we could use her zero gravity to alleviate my weight. I'm small, but even my weight sill start to wane on you guys as the contest goes on." She bit her thumbnail trying not to pout.

"I wouldn't worry about that." Shoji gave her multiple thumbs up and had her smiling in return. "I've got you covered, Midoriya."

Izumi smiled at him and turned to Tokoyami who placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Even if it is just the three of us, we're strong together." He said with confidence in her strategy. "We'll rely on you for offense power, and strategy, so entrust us to guard you. We'll make sure you keep your footing."

"Thanks, but I gotta warn yah..." she smiled and gave them both a flirtatious look that sent their blood pressure raising. "My strategies can get pretty chaotic so you better be prepared for anything. I leave myself in your hands."

**~Meanwhile~**

"Are you sure about this?" Iida asked Uraraka as they geared up. "You looked like you wanted to join Midoriya's team."

"I did…" Uraraka played with the end of her shirt as she eyed Izumi talking strategy with Tokoyami and Shojij. "I started to go up to her, and ask if she wanted to pair up but…"

"_Sorry girls, but you're not what I'm looking for." _

Uraraka recalled the cool look in Izumi's eyes, as if she were preparing for war. It made her shudder.

"I kinda chickened out. Then you and Todoroki came up and invited me so I decided it was best for me here." She clenched her fists. "Besides… Midori is so strong and smart and confident… I admire her so much that I want the chance to take her on!"

"I agree, that's also my reason for joining Todoroki's team." He pat her shoulder. "Midoriya's always been one step ahead of us, guiding us, and fueling our competitive nature. We should respond by showing her how strong of competition we can become."

Uraraka nodded enthusiastically and looked to Todoroki who stayed silent during the exchange.

"So what's the plan?"

"We're a big target, which means we'll more than likely be focusing on defense and maneuverability. Uraraka you'll be my right wing. You don't have any defensive capabilities so I'll make up for that using my ice as both an offense and defensive measure. You'll support our group by making us lighter, and increasing our mobility. Yaoyorozu, I need you on defense and support. You and I will work together to increase our options when facing against teams. Iida, you're the front horse, you'll be our physical offense and key ingredient for speed and mobility."

"Sounds good, and with you acting as our primary offense with ice and fire then we should be able to handle whatever comes our way."

"Not exactly…" Todoroki turned hard eyes up to the rafters where he knew his father was watching. "... in battle I never use my left side."

**~Starting Line~**

Izumi wrapped the headband with their "530" point value around her forehead. She'd taken off her shoes, and discarded the outtershirt to make herself more comfortable. As she mounted up, Tokoyami and Shoji both supporting her feet, she took stock of the other teams. Tsuyu had somehow been pulled into a team of support class students who were using her as a rider, and debating amongst themselves on which items would best help their cause. Hagakure had taken it upon herself to make her own team with Jiro, Sato, and Koda… but what surprised her most was the hodgepodge team Ojiro and Aoyama joined which consisted of one Class B student and Shinso Hitoshi.

How had that guy managed to pass the preliminaries? Like a ninja he'd snuck in under the radar not drawing attention to himself.

"Do me a favor, Tokoyami…" She murmured and narrowed her eyes.

"Hmm? What is it." He glanced back at her, concerned by her sudden serious tone.

"Keep a wide berth from that general ed student. I've got a bad feeling about him." She braced her hands on his shoulders, and expelled a calming breath to ease the tension in her body.

"Right." He nodded and took a moment to examine the student himself before turning his attention to the other students. Shoji spread the rest of his arms out creating a sort of barrier around Izumi's body. With Shoji covering her back and Tokoyami her front, Izumi felt confident about her strategy. She scanned the crowd of students trying to find the highest accumulated points she could go after aside from Todoroki.

Todoroki had the most points, an instant win card if he managed to hang onto them… but that didn't matter to her. If she was given the opportunity to take the ten million then she'd go for it, but her strategy wasn't to be caught up in a bunch of other teams all going for the same prize.

"Let's play this by ear… we've got a good starting point value, so we'll circle the arena and pinpoint the best tagrets."

"You don't want to go after the ten million?" Shoji questioned with genuine surprise.

"Oh I do… more than anything." She narrowed her eyes on Todoroki. "Which is exactly why we're holding off on it."

She wanted the top spot… but she needed to play it smart if she was gonna survive the next two rounds. With the limitations of her quirk she needed to plan more carefully and preserve her energy source. To do this she needed to strategize not only in how much she used her quirk but in the way she used it. She couldn't risk getting too emotional. Allowing her emotions to run wild made her quirk infinitely more powerful, but it also drained her rather quickly. She'd been pissed off during the last leg of the race, and in the end it cost her.

"I wasted a ton of energy on the preliminary race because I was fired up and pissed off. It was a stupid move, and one I can't afford to make again."

"Alright…" Tokoyami nodded and let Dark Shadow loose. "If you change your mind, just let us know."

"Oh trust me…" her face turned wicked as her grin spread. "If we've got a shot at it, then we're taking it."

"That's more like the Midoriya we know…" Shoji cracked the knuckles on his other hands before spreading them out again. "Let's do this!"

"Alright it's time!" Present Mic shouted to the crowd that raved and shouted for the event to start. "Calvalry Battle countdown! Three… Two… One… START!"

Much as she predicted a bulk of the teams made a beeline for Todoroki's team. While she wanted to join the pack she knew Todoroki too well and she pat Tokoyami's back. "Let's circle the charge… if I'm right we're about to get our first catch."

"I think I see your move… Leave it to me!" Tokoyami lead the way, they shifted to match pace with the charging teams, but as the group clustered together he shifted and changed course getting behind them.

Todoroki shifted his team so they darted left, his right side facing the clustering teams. With a poke Yaoryozu provided he dragged it across the ground sending an ice barrage to freeze the teams in place before making his escape around.

"Should have seen that coming…" Jiro complained and shifted as Sato did his best to break apart the ice with his strength.

"We're almost free, come on turn about, let's go for a revenge attack!" Tohru insisted as they wiggle free.

"There, now we can.. Whoa wait a minute! Hagakure what happened to your head band?!" Sato asked when he looked up to see their band was gone.

"Eh? Wha! When did that happen!?"

"Crap! Tetsutetsu yours is gone too!" Awase from class 1B exclaimed to his team leader.

"Hah!?" Tetsutetsu grabbed his forehead blinking in confusion and then looked around and spotted Izumi and her team. The headbands in question were floating right into her palm, the momentary pause in their movements making it easy for her to lock her quirk around the bands and tug them off almost simultaneously. "DAMN YOU! GIVE US OUR POINTS BACK!"

"NO FAIR MIDORI!" Tohru complained and, though no one could see them, waved her arms around erratically.

"Nice job, Midoriya!" Shoji complimented when Izumi pulled the two point values over her head. "That telekenisis is gonna be the key to winning this event.

"Don't get too comfortable. I lose focus when objects are in movement so those points were easy pickings. Now that we've gotten their attention the groups will start targeting us and be more cautious about remaining stagnant."

"Couldn't you just make a barrier like before?" Shoji questioned and immediately wrapped her up when a team ran by in an attempt to attack, but got held off by dark shadow.

"That barrier took a great deal of concentration and energy to make, especially for how big it was. I could do small scale ones for protection, but physically halting a team and then attempting to take their band at the same time would require too much focus, time, and energy to complete." She explained.

"Watch it!" Tokoyami called out blocking Tsuyu's tongue that nearly slapped Izumi right across the head. "I know I said I'd watch your back, but keep your focus Midoriya!"

"Right, enough talk…" She grinned and the next time Tsuyu's tongue zipped towards her, Izumi wrapped her hands in energy and grabbed the sticky end.

"Ribbit!?" Tsuyu blinked in surprise her tongue flicking trying to get free. Her head moved and she felt the headband snap free and lift away and into Midoriya's waiting palm.

"Thanks, Tsuyu-chan." She winked. "Forward Tokoyami!" She tossed the tongue up and away from her as they made a quick dash away.

"Nearly half the time is over, and the battle has become a free for all! Team Todoroki continues to hold onto his ten million points and the lead, with Team Izumi in a strong second place!" Present mic announced and then paused blinking wide eyed. "Eh… aside from them the rest of class 1A doesn't seem to be doing too well. When did Bakugo lose his points?"

"Eh?" Izumi's ears perked up at this as she glanced at the board. "Kacchan's at zero points?"

"Damn you bastard! Give those back! I'll kill you" Bakugo screamed from across the court, his team facing off against a B class group.

"I was planning on going after the big mouth speaker, but unlike you and the rest of your class A teams she's actually playing a smart game… picking and choosing her battles instead of acting like a horse chasing after a carrot on a string." Neito Monoma laughed wrapping Bakugo's points around his neck and sitting up tall and arrogant.

Izumi's eyes narrowed at this. She glanced back up at the board. Aside from herself and Todoroki the bulk of the people with points were all players going after smaller targets, trying to take whatever points they could get their hands on instead of trying for the big fish. She was playing a smart game, there was nothing wrong with that. She knew there was little benefit in going after an opponent that had a clear defensive strategy, and a strong team to back it up.

Yet… somehow… that statement completely rubbed her the wrong way. He was insulting her, by telling Bakugo she was a smarter player than he was. It didn't make sense, and yet that's exactly how she felt. Why?

"Oh, don't get mad at me, okay?" She heard Neito call back to Bakugo who was in a rage. "It was your classmate who provoked us after all with that embarrassing speech of hers. Why don't you take a page out of her book and lose with some decorum?"

Izumi's brow twitched and her temper snapped alert. Oh… now she knew why. He was insinuating she'd lost her nerve. Just because she was playing smart, and doing what she could to ensure she and her teammates moved on he assumed she was no longer gunning for the top spot.

To hell with that.

"Midoriya we've got company… we need to-" he jumped when izumi whipped her energy out creating a solid barrier that the two teams gunning for them ran straight into.

"Shoji… Tokoyami… change of plans." She cracked her knuckles, her eyes finding Todoroki casually guiding his team safely through the battles, avoiding any big conflicts. "I feel like eating a carrot."

**~Meanwhile~**

"It looks like we've gotten some breathing room…" Iida told Todoroki as they did a leisurely run across the field. "Teams are getting desperate and grabbing at whatever points they can."

"Ah, just stay alert." Todoroki warned and tossed the brittle pole away. "Yaoyorozu can you make me another weapon?"

"Yes, give me a moment." Yaoyorozu cut the breaks on her rollerblades and the team stalled so she could create another long pole. "There it's complete." She started to lift it up and hand it to him, but gasped as Izumi's familiar energy wrapped around it and snapped it away.

"Thanks, Yao." Izumi smirked at her holding the pole out. "I could have used this a few minutes ago when Tsuyu was taking head shots at me."

"Midoriya-san!" Yaoyorozu flustered and looked apologetically up at Todoroki. "I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it, just make another quick." He snapped and held his band to his forehead. "Iida keep moving so she can't lock onto us."

"Right!" Iida put his jets to use and started to run forward but slammed into a solid wall of Izumi's energy. She'd created a dome around them, and despite her facing being pale and sweaty she grinned wickedly and triumphantly at the group.

"Tokoyami… get it!"

"Dark Shadow!" tokoyami unleashed his beast and it rushed the group. Todoroki held up his arms to protect the band.

"YAOYOROZU!"

A large shield whipped up from Yaoyorozu's arm blocking Dark Shadow's assault and forcing him back

"Use your ice, Todoroki-kun!" Uraraka told him." Midori can't use her telekinesis so long as the barrier is up. She's just as trapped as we are."

"You assume that's the only trick I have up my sleeve, Ura-chan!" Izumi called out, her team having rushed closer during Dark Shadow's attack. She reached out with her bare hand, shoji holding her out so she could get in close.

On instinct, Todoroki let loose flames from his left and smacked her hand away. With her being in such close proximity Yaoyorozu managed to snag two bands from around her neck before Izumi jerked back.

"HOT! Shit that hurts!" She winced, patting the skin that burned.

"Hot?" Todoroki glanced down at his left hand seeing the flames. "My left… what did I... "

"Todoroki-san!" Yaoyorozu held out the bands for him. "The barrier's wavering, now's our chance!"

"Huh?" he took the bands in his hand, the momentary break of his concentration flustering him and he glared. "Right. Iida get us out of here!"

"Everyone hang on tight! Recipro-"

"I'm not done with you yet!" Izumi shouted and she jumped, using the pole she vaulter herself into a round house kick position. Her foot just barely missed Todoroki's head before Iida zoomed out of the way flying past her and the other teams to make it safely to the otherside of the court just as time ran out."

"TIME!"

"WHOA! Yes! Way to go, Iida!"

"Iida… what was that?" Todoroki blinked in surprise.

"By forcing the torque and rotations I can give my engines an explosive boost powerup. It only lasts for a short while and my engines stall for a time." He explained and slowly lowere Todoroki down and sat to allow his legs to rest. "I was saving it for a last resort."

"Well it worked!" Uraraka beamed and bounced. "We escaped Izumi's assault and won the event!"

"Now to announce the final four that have made it into the next round. In first place… Team Midoriya!"

"What!?" All four of them turned their heads in shock at the scoreboard. Todoroki lifted a hand to his forehead and sure enough the ten million was gone.

"When did she-"

"Nice fight, Iida-kun, Todoroki-kun." Izumi complimented, sitting propped on Shoji's shoulder with her legs crossed, and his ten million band dangling between her toes. She lifted her leg up showing it off with a confident smirk. "I almost missed."

"That last kick…" Uraraka held her mouth as realization struck. Izumi had missed Todoroki's head, but had caught the loose fabric of his headband between her toes.

"In second place, Team Todoroki!"

"I'm sorry…" Yaoyorozu said with a grievous expression. "It's because I let her take the weapon I'd made for you."

"Don't be too hard on yourself, Yao." Izumi jumped down and held the weapon in question out to her. "You were resourceful enough to grab the headbands I stole from the other teams. Thanks to you, your team placed second."

"She's right, Yaoyorozu." Iida placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "We would have lost indefinitely had you not acted."

"Iida-san." Momo smiled warmly and then looked to Todoroki who had been silent. On the intercom Bakugo and Shinso were announced as the last two teams to make it to the final round. He stare up at the board… saw his name under Midoriya's and looked down at his left hand. Just as she promised she'd used his moment of hesitation to his disadvantage.

"We made it…" was all he said and turned his back to the team. "That's all that matters."

He walked away from them, his body so tense Izumi thought his back would snap in two. She wasn't sure why, but the urge to follow him was too great. She smiled back at her team giving them thumbs up.

"Thanks for having my back you guys."

"Anytime. We won because of you, Midoriya. Thanks for leading us to the finals." Shoji returned the thumbs up on all hands.

"Same here. I'll look forward to competing against you in the final rounds." Tokoyami told her and earned a grin.

"Just remember you said that after I kick your butts!" She waved and ran after Todoroki. He was near the end of the dark hall when she finally grabbed his shoulder. "Todoroki-kun, wait."

"Don't touch me…" he shrugged her off. "I'm really not in the mood for your boast or flirtations, Midoriya."

"Oooh harsh, but justified." she held her hand that was still burned. He glanced back just enough to see the movement and his eyes went sorrowful.

"You should get that looked at before it scars."

"It barely hurts…" she promised and eyed the scar over his left eye. "You once told me that my backstory hit a little too close to home for you. You didn't want to talk about it at the time… do you wanna talk about it now?"

Todoroki turned his back to her, contemplating. He wasn't sure what good it would do to tell her everything about himself… but maybe letting her know, getting everything he'd been feeling off his chest… would relieve some of the anguish he was currently feeling.

"Have you ever heard of quirk marriages?"

_**~Ask Briry~**_

_**Briry: Woot long chapter but sooooo worth it I think. Did you guys like it? I hope so!**_

_**Next Chapter: Fan Service **_


	20. Fan Service

**Midori the Villain**

**Author's Note: Thank you everyone who put in their opinions for possible match-ups. The roster has been made and I look forward to hearing your reactions!**

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter 20: Fan Service**

Quirk marriages… of all the things she expected Todoroki to say she didn't expect anything like this. She stayed silent listening to the story of his family; how his father was the hero Endeavor, forever second to All Might and completely bitter about it. How that bitterness had driven the Hellfire Hero into forcing Todoroki's mother into marriage to produce the "perfect" heir. How that that insane obsession for perfection drove his mother insane, and turned her into a broken woman.

"That's despicable…" Izumi narrowed her eyes. She clenched her fists at her side. In so many ways the Endeavor that Todoroki was describing reminded her too much of her Sensei. He was a man obsessed with power using and abusing others to further his goals. "How is he even allowed to call himself a hero with a mindset like that?"

"I've asked myself that question for years." Todoroki shut his eyes. "All the memories I have of my mother are of her crying. That man made life so miserable to the point she couldn't even stand looking at me. She called my left side unbearable…" he held his scar gritting his teeth. "Then poured boiling water on my face."

Izumi's breath caught at this. It wasn't just the words that shocked her, but the look on his face when he did so. She always considered Todoroki to be the handsomest guy she'd ever met. He was naturally smooth, and charming without being overbearing and arrogant with it. His cool demeanor gave him such a mysterious vibe…

...but there was no cool demeanor now. Something changed over the last couple days that unleashed the beast inside Todoroki. He was angry, bitter, rebellious… and broken.

Izumi had a soft spot for broken souls. She could relate to them, felt the desperate need to comfort and mend them. She wanted to save him.

"I never really planned to tell you any of this." he admitted lowering his hand to his side. "After you rejected my feelings I didn't think you had any right to know what lay inside my heart… but as I thought you've still got your claws dug into me, and it needs to stop."

"Todoroki-kun…" sympathy in her eyes Izumi stepped towards him, her hands held out to cup his face. He flinched back, smacking her hands down, and stumbling til his back met the wall.

"No! Don't touch me! Midoriya I said stop!" She trapped him between her an the wall, her petite body pressed into his, her ear laying over his heart to hear the loud thumping beats of it. Since he wouldn't let her touch his face she wrapped her arms around him in a hug and just listened to that fast unsteady heartbeat.

"Listen to that…" she said on a soft sigh. "It's so relaxing…"

"What are you talking about?" He went beat red and grabbed her shoulders. "Get off me, Midoriya."

"Here…" She grabbed his hands and placed them over her heart, his body tensed up as they brush against the soft swell of her breast. "Feel it? Isn't it soothing to know?"

"To know what?" He stammered but his hand lay flat over the heart not sure what else to do with it.

"That even a damaged and broken hearts can keep beating." Her eyes got a mischievous glint. "We're damaged souls, Todoroki-kun. A couple of kids with tragic pasts fighting for our goals. We've been used, abused, and left shattered at the feet of those who stomped all over us trying to tear us down… but we're still here. We're alive. We're damaged, but alive."

"Midoriya…" he whispered her name, saw the glint and felt the sudden urge to pull her closer to him.

"I know what it's like, Todoroki-kun." She told him with pure sympathy. "I know what it's like to be molded and used like a tool. I had a leash around my neck that was so tight I could barely breathe. I didn't even know it existed until I snapped that leash clean off me. Now I'm free… I'm making my own choices, living my own life, and becoming my own person. That's what you want, isn't it? You want to become your own hero and not what your father deems you to be?"

"Yes…" he released a calming breath. "More than anything."

"Then show him…" she stepped back and held out her hand. "Show him what a true hero looks like."

He looked down at her hand, then back up into her eyes. He let out a slow calming breath and his lips curved into a smile.

"There is no escaping you is there, Midoriya? Once you've got your hooks in… there's no getting loose."

"No worries…" since he wouldn't take it, she set her hand on her hip cocking it to the side. "Very seldom do I kill my prey."

"Right… come here." He snagged her waist and pulled her in capturing her mouth with his. Unlike the first time they kissed he was prepared for it now. He wanted a full taste; mouths, tongues, everything… all so he could memorize them and keep them locked away in his heart.

Izumi's first instinct was to pull away, but for a guy who had never kissed before Todoroki was doing something incredible with her mouth. She let out a soft mewl of pleasure and wrapped her arms around his neck. Their bodies molded tight, heat against heat, and Izumi saw big booming fireworks in her mind's eye.

When they finally broke for air she stayed close. The two of them stare into each other's eyes, tasting each other's breath, and both trying to figure out what to do with the emotions that raged wars inside them.

"I'm putting myself back into the equation." Todoroki told her, his hands gripping her waist tighter. "I told you I want you to be happy, Midoriya… but I'm also a selfish person. I want you to be happy with me."

"You make it really hard to say no…" she murmured and slowly pulled away from him. She tucked hair behind her ear. "Really… really hard."

"Then don't…" he stepped closer to her again and she placed a hand on his chest.

"I have to… Todoroki-kun I like you, more than I should, but you really shouldn't get involved with someone like me." Her eyes lifted to his in a sudden serious expression. "It feels good now, but with the way my life is we'll never make each other happy."

"I disagree…" He stuffed his hands back in his pockets. "I think I could make you extremely happy… and I don't care how long it takes, but I'll make you see that we belong together."

"Concentrate on showing up your blowhard dad, Shoto…" she gently pat his cheek before walking away from him. "You can't make someone else happy, until you're at least content with yourself."

"Shoto…" he whispered touching the cheek where her fingers had brushed. He closed his eyes letting out a long satisfying sigh. It was the first time in a long time that his name had sounded so comforting. "Izumi."

**~Girls bathroom~**

Izumi stumbled into the girls bathroom, thankful it was empty as she let out a long sigh of her own and collapsed against the wall.

"Ooh my god that was so hot…" she shuddered and ran her tongue over her lips. "What the hell got into me?" She pulled on her shirt trying to relieve the heat rushing to her face.

He had, Izumi determined, Todoroki had just shoved his way inside her without warning. She'd always found him attractive, just one look in his eyes could make her tingle all over. Add his tragic backstory, careless charismatic words, and the fact he could just naturally kiss like a devil made him damn irresistible.

"Oh Todoroki-kun…" she touched her lips and wandered the bathroom. "What have you done?" She got a good look at herself in the mirror. A few moments ago she'd felt so calm, confident, and on top of the world… but now that kiss had changed the whole game. She didn't feel strong, or empowered now… what she felt was ooey, gooey, and completely female. Staring at her aroused self in the mirror she lay a hand over her own face. "You're a dangerous boy, Todoroki-kun. You're testing my resolve and fidelity and I don't care for it."

Her eyes went twisted up and wild, so many thoughts and feelings cluttered her head and her heart and she knew exactly who to aim them at.

"I won't lose to you, Shoto Todoroki…" The mirror cracked under the pressure of her hand and she laughed at the new image of herself. Yes… that was more like it. "Karma will make you pay for stealing my heart."

**~Lunchtime~**

Izumi took fifteen minutes to calm herself down. She splashed water on her face, and rested under the shade of the tree to collect her thoughts and shift back into focus. She would put her feelings for Todoroki aside, and get back to her plans for winning the tournament.

"No further distractions…" she promised herself and sighed as her stomach grumbled. "I should eat while there's still food in the cafeteria." She stood up and brushed off her pants. She snagged a tray and decided to eat light so as not to fight on a full stomach. She ordered a salad with fat pieces of chicken cut up in it, chopped nuts and berries all served with a rich sweet vinaigrette dressing.

She spotted her classmates and took a seat next to Kirishima looking around.

"Where are all the girls at?"

"You just missed them." Kirishima said with his mouth half full. "They all went outside, said they had something to take care of."

"Ah I see…"

...Ten Minutes Later…

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Izumi held her sides unable to contain the giggles. All the girls lined up on the field in their cheerleading costumes. "Oh My god! I can't believe you actually believed that little pervert! Oh my sides hurt!"

Yaoyorozu went blue faced and sat on her knees looking positively ashamed at having been tricked.

"Why do I always get myself tangled in Mineta's schemes? I even used my quirk to make these outfits."

"Midori-chan stop laughing, it's not that funny." Ochaco pouted and fumed a little. "If you'd been in the cafeteria with us then you would have been wearing one too."

"Oh my god, I'm sorry but no way." She wiped tears and waved her hand in the air. "I'm not that dumb to get caught wearing such a thing."

"Oh really?" Six pairs of eyes went red and trained on her. "We'll just see about that."

"Eh?" Izumi paused her laughter as she was suddenly ganged up, Ochaco making her float and Tsuyu wrapping her tongue around her to bind her arms.

"Come on, girls," Yaoyorozu said, already at work on the revenge plan. They pull Izumi into the dark tunnell, the girls ganging up and muscling her out of her uniform and into the costume Yao created.

"Ow! Hey! Wait no stop! Yao! I'm SORRY GAH! DON'T TOUCH THERE! GIVE ME BACK MY SHIRT!"

"Release…" Ochaco set izumi back on her feet now that the damage was done and both she, and Tohru shoved her back in the arena.

"Oh no way! I'm not going out there dressed like this! Yao give me back my uniform! GAH!" Izumi stumbled out and wrapped her arms around herself blushing.

"GOOD JOB!" Both Kaminari and Mineta gave huge thumbs up as Izumi came out in a bunny costume that included a rabbit ear headband, and fluffy tail pinned to the back of the leotard.

"Why the hell am I the one getting punished when it was those idiots who tricked you?" Izumi pointed at Mineta and Kaminari.

"BECAUSE YOU LAUGHED!" The girls said insync.

"This isn't funny…" Izumi wanted to crawl up. She was all for dressing sexy to please her man, but damn it the whole world was practically watching this program. "Tenko is gonna flip his lid, and Bakugo is gonna-" she trailed off when the guy in question strolled up to her staring intensely. She tensed up and backed away slowly, flushing.

"W-What? What are you staring at? Does it look that weird?" She grit her teeth fighting off the embarrassment with anger. "Go ahead and laugh… do it!"

"Not bad…" Bakugo pulled out his phone and snapped a picture… and Izumi nearly collapsed from the heat that rushed to her face.

"BAKA! DELETE IT!"

"No way!" He grabbed her face holding her off. "This is the first time in months you actually look like yourself, Usagi. I've got photographic proof now."

"Can I take one too, Midoriya?" Todoroki said suddenly appearing with his phone held out. Behind him Kaminari and mineta were already taking tons of photos.

"No! Damn it give my uniform back Yao!" She snatched the shirt out of Yaoyorozu's hands and slammed the ears down on the ground grinding her heel into them. "Mineta… Kaminari…" Izumi's deadly gaze turned on them and they both tensed up. The two of them went blue and felt the blood drain out of their faces as Izumi walked over cracking her knuckles. "For every picture that was taken I'm gonna beat your faces into the ground."

"Whoa, come on now, Izumi, that doesn't sound very heroic." Kirishima placed his hands on her shoulders holding her back. "Just let it go."

"Like hell I will…" She turned those deadly eyes on them. "The world is watching so they survive for now… but just you wait, you little perverts. Karma is gonna get yah back, and it won't be pretty."

She stormed away stepping on the headband again for good measure. Kirishima let out a deep sigh of relief and looked to the two half dead corpses on the grass.

"You two, owe me big."

**~The Roster~**

Due to Izumi's team only have three players, and both Ojiro and Nirengeki dropping out, it was determined that three players from the team in fifth place would take the empty slots. Kendo from Class B and two of her classmates Setsuna and Reiko had taken the honor.

After the final 16 were confirmed it was time to draw slots. The tournament bracket spread out across the stadium screens so everyone could see who fought who:

**Battle 1**

**Iida Vs. Shoji**

**Battle 2**

**Todoroki Vs. Setsuna**

**Battle 3**

**Kirishima Vs. Sero**

**Battle 4**

**Uraraka Vs. Kendo **

**Battle 5**

**Tokoyami Vs. Yaoyorozu**

**Battle 6**

**Ashido Vs. Aoyama**

**Battle 7**

**Reiko Vs. Shinso**

As the eyes all cast to the final battle of the first round, there was a group consensus of…

"Oh Shit!"

**Battle 8**

**Izumi Vs. Bakugo**

"No way!" Uraraka gawked at the scoreboard. "Those two are gonna fight in the first round!?"

"Someone get Recovery Girl on standby." Kaminari joked with a nervous laugh.

"That's not funny, Kaminari. That fight is gonna be anything but pretty." Jiro scolded.

"Yeah dude," Sero agreed. "You saw how hard Bakugo went at her during combat practice. Just imagine what he'll do out in the open like this especially after losing to her in the second round."

"Your concern is touching but unnecessary, Sero." Izumi smirked up at the board. "If I have to face Kacchan, then I'm glad it's here and now when I'm at full strength."

"You won't be glad when you're split into pieces across the tournament stage." He muttered, but Izumi waved him off.

"I suggest you worry about your own battle, Sero-kun. A flat stage surface isn't exactly your ideal combat ground." She pointed out.

"You know…" He rubbed the back of his head laughing. "I know what you're saying is fact but… it's kinda hard to take you seriously when just a few minutes ago you were dressed like a playboy bunny."

"Grrr…" Izumi's brow twitched with irritation. "Would you take me more seriously if I carved the warning into your skull?"

"Eh heh… not necessary. My bad." He held up his hand and backed away from her. "Yeesh, Midoriya is just as frightening as Bakugo when she's angry."

"Alright the opponents have been finalized. Now it's time for some recreational games!" Present Mic shouted. Most of the students decided to play just for fun… but those in the tournament brackets did what they could to prepare for the upcoming fights.

For her part Izumi returned to the shade of a tree and sat in meditation, grateful for the peace and quiet.

"Midoriya?"

Tokoyami's voice made her brows knit together and she slowly opened one eyes to look up at him.

"Yeah? What's up?"

"Sorry, didn't mean to disturb you while you were concentrating." He sat down with her, drawing up a leg to look straight at her. "You continually surprise me, I didn't think you were the type of person to do meditation."

"Frankly I don't like it. I hate sitting in one place for long periods of time." She relaxed and folded her hands in her lap. Obviously curiousy caught him, and she wasn't going to get rid of him until she satisfied it. "It's a necessity for my quirk."

"Your telekinesis?" He questioned.

"A lot of people refer to it as that, and I let them but that's not really the case." She offered up a small smile when he said nothing at all. "According to the bracket I might very well become your opponent in the semi-finals… but you divulged your quirk fully to me, so it's only right that I return the favor."

"I won't force you to." He closed his eyes. He hadn't meant to pry, he'd only let his curiousity and instincts lead him here to her. "As you said we're rivals from here on out."

"I'm a creature of fairness, Tokoyami-kun. It's thanks to you and Shoji that I even made it to the next round. Besides…" she lifted her hand and felt the small sparks of her aura flow along it. "No one's really asked me about it."

"If you're sure… then I'm all ears." He got comfortable and turned his full attention to her.

"Mmm…" She nodded and lifted her eyes back up to him. "My quirk is called Sentient Aura… to put it simply I can manifest kinetic energy."

"Kinetic energy?" He looked a bit confused by the terminology.

"Yes… scientifically speaking I'm actually using the potential energy I store up in my body and use it to create kinetic energy which I can control."

"So that mist or fire type aura that surrounds your targets is the kinetic energy you've released?" He tapped his finger in the air creating a circle to put substance to his words. Izumi nodded. "Interesting… and you can use it to either manipulate objects around you, or free form your own weapons and shields from it."

"Yes… My quirk is very flexible and I can utilize it in many different ways which is why it appears like so many other types of quirks… but it requires a lot of concentration and focus to wrap the energy around an object, particularly if it's got energy of its own that can counter it. Which is why I have a hard time holding onto people or objects that are in motion."

"So how are you able to produce a shield if other people's energy can cancel it out."

"By fortifying it." She held her hands out laying her palms out flat. At her motion he covered hers with his and she pressed up on them. "The more energy I use to create something, the stronger it's push…" She pressed up on his hands and he returned the force so that they matched push for push. "That wall I made during the first round race was more than half of the potential energy I stored up before the competition even started. It was a gamble I made hoping it would give me an early lead… but really all I did was waste a good amount of energy I could have used later on. A stupid mistake on my part."

"More than half…" Tokoyami pulled his hands away to look her directly in the eyes. "You mean to tell me that you've been participating in the tournament, placing in the top at only half your energy source?"

"That's right…" Izumi's eyes went mischievous when Tokoyami's feather's ruffled. "You alright there, Tokoyami?"

"Uh… yes I just…" he cleared his throat trying to compose himself. "Just wondering where the meditation factored in."

"Meditation allows me to store up potential energy. The longer I meditate the more energy I can store up. I have to be at full power when I go up against Kacchan…" She murmured and adjusted her sitting position so that her bare feet touched together. "I talked big before, but I'm at a serious disadvantage."

"I don't see how. You have plenty of time to store up enough energy for your battle with Bakugo."

"Bakugo is the one person who can give me a hard time." She grit her teeth. "Unlike most quirks his just gets stronger the longer he fights. The more sweat he builds up the bigger his explosions get. If I'm not careful in how I use my quirk I could run out of energy before I even get the chance to put up a decent fight. Given our history together it's gonna be an emotional battle, and my quirk goes haywire when I'm emotional."

"Why is that?"

"I'm not entirely sure myself… but emotions have their own energy don't they?" she held her heart and closed her eyes. She brought to her mind that brief connection with Todoroki, and that steamy kiss. "Anger, sadness, frustration, love… those kinds of heart twisting, gut-busting emotions can build and fill up inside you. If you don't let them out to give room for more than your container can just burst and the energy just flows out of you like a tidal wave of energy. It's powerful… but draining."

She took a deep breath and crossed her legs again returning to a proper meditation position.

"So… meditation helps not only to store up my energy but also allows me to focus my mind and put a tab on my emotions. Hence, necessity."

Satisfied with her explanation Tokoyami stood and put his hands in his pockets.

"I'll leave you to it then… Midoriya?"

"Hmmm?" She cracked an eye to look at him. "Yeah?"

"We may be rivals in the near future… but you have my support." He turned his back to her. "I'll see you in the Semi-finals."

Izumi smiled after him and closed her eyes taking a long deep breath.

"These U.A boys..." Todoroki, Bakugo, Kaminari and Mineta… now even Tokoyami was giving her attention. "I really am going to have to find a way to punish them for their boldness."

_**~Ask Briry~**_

_**Briry: I recall one of my readers being a Tokoyami fan and decided to include that last little bit not only for clarification on Izumi's quirk, but also in the act of "Fan Service." Hence the title. Hope you guys enjoyed. **_

_**Next Chapter: Round 1 Battles**_


	21. Round 1 Battles

**Midori the Villain**

**Chapter 21: Round 1**

Shigaraki lounged back on the couch as he watched the UA sports festival display on the wide screen TV. While the recreational games took place off screen, the commentators went through the previous rounds from each grade, starting from the third and second years.

"With that said let's check out the roster for the first year students."

The screen changed to the full roster with names. The reporters sitting in the booth with the high energy crowd behind them smiled at the camera.

"So far it's been an exciting and close race between three particular students, but with these one on one matchups anything can happen. Tanaka who do you predict will come out on top?"

"I gotta go with the son of Endeavor, Shoto Todoroki. He's been amazing thus far. Took first in the obstacle race and just narrowly lost to Izumi Midoriya in the Cavalry battle. He's well rounded, physically fit, and has the lineage to back it up. I say he's gonna go all the way."

"He is impressive, but speaking of Izumi Midoriya... How do you see her chances of taking home the gold?"

"Doubtful," The male reporter waved his hand in the air as if to bat away the notion. "I'm sorry. The girl is good, but she's got Katsuki Bakugo as her first opponent in the tournament round. Not only did he place second and third in the prelims, but he's really catching the attention of many of the pros with his tenacity, and battle gusto. He's got a real hunger to win and it's something Midoriya is going to have a hard time overcoming. Even if she somehow manages to pull out a victory over him I don't think she'll be able to make a full recovery to take on Todoroki in the finals. I say Son of Endeavor all the way!"

"Karma wouldn't be pleased to hear the lack of confidence in her abilities." Kurogiri suddenly spoke from behind him. Shigaraki tilted his head back grunting at him.

"Kurogiri… did you find him?"

"There are reports of the Hero Killer being in Hosu. The Hero Ingenium and his sidekicks are currently in pursuit but they've yet to track him down." He reported. "I've a couple of informants in the area that will keep me posted on the progress."

"Humph this guy had better be worth the wait." He scratched at his neck, his irritation growing as they went over highlights of the cavalry round. The sight of his woman being held up by two young men had his jealousy raging hot. "Why does she insist upon going to this lame school?"

"She's still young and learning. As impressive as she is now the hero school will hone her skills even more so and keep her close to All Might and the other heroes." Kurogiri responded watching the broadcast intently as they went over play by play.

"Not to mention the naive and handsy adolescent boys who ogle her like a prize." He snarled as the camera panned to Izumi blushing in the rabbit costume. He stood and punched his fist through the TV. The screen cracked and blood dripped down his hand.

"Mind your temper, Shigaraki." Already prepared for such behavior, Kurogiri came around and proceeded to clean and bandage the injured hand. "She's your queen… these boys are nothing but peasants for her to play with. They hold no threat against you."

"Any of them try to take her from me I'll turned their faces inside out." He threatened and snagged his hand away holding it. "I'm putting on that stupid disguise and going for a walk." He walked away, snagging the wig and face mask on his way out the door.

"Where are you going?" Kurogiri asked with some concern.

"Karma told me to make friends…" He slipped the disguise into place and peeled down the mask so his wide grin split his face. "So I'm gonna go make some friends."

~Back at The Festival~

"That's more like it…" Izumi grinned as she flexed her hands in and out. Her body felt invigorated and back at full strength. She would be in tip top form in her battle against Bakugo. She was unfamiliar with some of the other participants, but she knew Bakugo in and out. She knew his strengths, his weaknesses, his patterns and habits. She was confident she could handle the battle no matter how intense it got.

With that in mind she focused on gathering Intel on the opponents she wasn't as familiar with. The class had all gathered in the assigned viewing section and she took a seat up front for a decent view. The fighting stage was almost complete and soon Iida and Shoji would step out to battle. She pulled her notebook out scanning through the notes she'd made of her classmates.

"Hmmm Iida vs. Shoji… in terms of strength Shoji clearly outclasses Iida, but in order to make use of that superior strength he'd have to find a way to catch him. The battle would really depend on whether or not Iida can outmaneuver Shoji long enough to catch him off balance and knock him out of the ring, either with his recripro burst or just some fancy dancing." She murmured to herself and added a few extra details to Iida's page. "Shoji will need to play it smart. His strength is clearly in his brute force and tank-like body… but if his brain and tactical prowess aren't up to snuff it could be a waste of a clear advantage."

"Midori-chan!" Uraraka bounced up beside her taking a spot next to her. Izumi snapped out of her mutters and lifted her head to the girl. "You got here early, did you get a chance to watch any of the recreational games?"

"No, I was focusing on regaining my strength." She admitted and closed the notebook offering a polite smile. "I see you and the rest of the girls changed."

"Tohru didn't want to, I really think she likes that kind of stuff." Uraraka laughed and Izumi gave a small chuckle of her own.

"I couldn't get used to it." She tucked a stray curl out of her face. "I felt so out of place that time you guys found me at the restaurant. I only ever wear stuff like that for meetings and dates, I feel so much more comfortable in my training gear." She admitted and turned her eyes to the stage when Present Mic called out for the start of the Tournament. Iida and Shoji's pictures flashed up on screen and both contestants strut out tall and confident.

"You really pull it off though." Uraraka complimented and also looked to the stage. "Not everyone can just slide into the upper crust of society so seamlessly. You just have a knack for it. You're so confident in yourself and your abilities." Uraraka lowered her head ashamed a little. "I'm a little jealous of that."

"I'm only confident in the things I'm good at." Izumi told her fisting her hand around her pencil. She couldn't tell Uraraka, or anyone for that matter, that her confidence stemmed from necessity. If she let others see her insecurities then it was just asking to have them poke and prod at them.

Sensei was a selfish and greedy man but he'd taught her a great many things. He'd taught her how to overcome insecurity with confidence, shield hurts from her past by cutting off her fear and replacing it with anger. Most importantly he taught her how to calculate and predict the reactions of others and prepare an immediate response.

She was still working on the last one. The calculating and predictions were easy… but reacting to them just right was difficult. Her emotions could become so turbulent. More often than not her "true" self, and her "improved" self battled for supremacy, making her thoughts and feelings cluttered and disordered. The USJ incident had tested her on that, constantly pulling on her loyalties, emotions, and thoughts until she just wanted to curl up and cry.

She'd survived it though…

Not only did she survive but it had awaken her to a whole new purpose. It had awaken her to freedom, to clarity, and to leadership. She and Shigaraki would head the League now. He was King, a symbolic position that gave him power without making him take too many careless steps. She was his Queen, a person of great power and moved everywhere and anywhere just so she could protect her King and those that followed him.

Without realizing it Izumi's eyes turned coy and a confident smile spread across her lips. She lounged back in her seat tapping her pencil against her lips. She wondered how Shigaraki would feel about that analogy. She wondered how he would feel knowing she saw him as someone she wanted to save and protect. If it was her she wouldn't care for it a bit, but she was the aspiring hero not him. His entire life he hated heroes because no one had been there to help him when he needed it. The only person who had tried to "save" him had only used him.

Now that she thought about it clearly, she didn't just want to be Shigaraki's girlfriend and lover. She wanted to be his hero. She was the one person who actually cared for him, and was willing to give up her life, her morals, and even her dreams to save him.

"You are my hero."

The thought of hearing those words from him, of looking into those beautiful ruby red eyes and know that he meant them… would mean everything to her.

"SHOJI IS OUT OF BOUNDS!" Midnight shouts from the ring and cracks her whip in Iida's direction. "Tenya Iida advances!"

Izumi snapped out of her daydream to eye the stage with a wide eyed stare.

"Well I'll be damned, he did it." She watched the small replay of the winning move; Iida going in for a slide kick tripping Shoji up in his full sprint and making him fall out of the ring. "Nice going, Iida."

~Meanwhile~

Todoroki heard the announcement of Iida's success and he stood up from the chair in the waiting room. He wished he'd gotten the chance to watch the fight, but he had needed time to think. After everything he and Izumi had talked about he was more revved up than before.

He didn't think any of his classmates would understand his motives, but Izumi did. She understood what it was like to be oppressed. She knew what it was like to be shoved into a mold, and forced to meet expectations.

She just understood him. Period.

He rounded the corner and into the hallway, his eyes narrowed when he spotted his father waiting for him.

"You're in my way."

"You're acting disgracefully, Shoto." He spoke sharply, not even bothering to look at his son. "If you'd used your left side, you would have had a devastating victory in both the obstacle course and the cavalry battle."

"Tch…" Todoroki walked forward, strutting right past the brooding hero and kept his focus on his match. Just ignore him, he told himself, don't listen to a word he says.

"Instead, you let yourself be beaten by a girl." Endeavor sneered. "A coy and shameless harlot who relies on her physical appeal to distract her opponents."

"What?" Todoroki halted suddenly, and he slowly looked back glaring at him.

"That girl is a distraction, one you can't afford to partake in. Any attention she gives you is strictly for her own benefit and you're better off ignoring her and focusing on the task at hand."

"I don't need you of all people to tell me that!" He turned his back to him clenching his fists. "You don't know Midoriya, and you have no right to talk about her that way. She understands me more than you ever have."

"Stop being so naive and childish and remember your responsibilities! You've a duty to defeat All Might. You can't do that if you're distracted by some girl and her pathetic mind games."

"Shut up! I don't need your half assed pep talks. I will win…" he snarled in response and kept walking faster now. "... but I'll do it my way! I will win using only mom's power! I won't give you the satisfaction of seeing me use yours!"

"Even if that works for this tournament… you'll soon reach the limits of that power." Endeavor warned and turned to take his position back up in the stands.

Riled up and blinded by his anger Todoroki walked out onto the grand stage, his eyes shaded by the slight drop of his chin and bangs curtaining down. How dare he talk about Midoriya as if she were some whore selling her body. Did the man have no shame?

Sure Midoriya liked to flirt, and okay she kissed him hoping it would distract him but she was more than that. She didn't do it out of spite, or for the thrill, she did it to win. She was focused on her goal just like the rest of them were, and she was using every advantage at her disposal. She warned everyone during her speech she'd do exactly that.

His father was the fool, looking at her as nothing more than a mere shameless distraction when she was so much more dangerous than that. She was smart, and strong. She had drive and purpose. She didn't just play on her looks, she played on everything. He KNEW what she was, what she capable of and he didn't care. She already had her claws in him, but that didn't mean a damn to him.

No matter what she did…

"A damaged and broken heart can keep beating…"

No matter what she said...

"Show him what a true hero looks like."

No matter how he felt about her…

"Shoto…"

He would still beat her!

"START!"

His eyes slowly lifted to his opponent. Setsuna rushed at him, her body spread out across the stage ready to attack from all sides.

"My Apologies."

He unleashed a barrage, the entire stage and half the arena frosting over as a giant iceberg formed and spiked out at the tippy top. Izumi nearly leapt out of her seat her notebook and pen dropping at her feet as she held her hands out preparing to shield herself.

She went white as a ghost, her breath catching in her throat and sweat dripping down her temples. What the hell… what in the fucking hell was that?

She stumbled out of her seat and moved to the side so she could look down at Shoto. The sight of his slouched body and hung head made Izumi think something must have riled him up. He looked so sad and hurt as he melt away the ice with his left hand. He thawed out his opponent who was immediately rushed to the infirmary. He turned a slow circle until his eyes finally cast up in her direction and they locked onto each other. The intensity of his gaze added weight onto her heart.

No, she thought to herself when she caught the look in his eyes on the big screen. His face was twisted up, but there was a sternness in his eyes. She thought the ice barrage was him releasing stress perhaps unloading the tension he'd felt before the fight… but that wasn't it. He was challenging her. Despite their brief moment of attraction and understanding in the hall he hadn't forgotten his goal to win. That barrage was a warning not to get in his way.

"Well too bad…" her smile came slow and confident and she put a hand on her hip. "I'm not afraid of you, Todoroki-kun. I accept your challenge."

~Later~

Izumi returned to her seat when the ice melted down and she picked up her notebook and pen from the floor where she had dropped it. Taking a deep breath she turned her focus back to the matches and carefully added notes all the while making predictions of the upcoming battles.

Kirishima and Sero's battle had come out just as she believed. Without any kind of elevation or high surface for him to gain momentum on Sero couldn't adjust his fighting prowess to take on the tank that was Eijiro Kirishima.

Uraraka was next, and despite her efforts to offer the girl some battle advice Uraraka refused to hear any of it. She wanted to battle and learn on her own, which Izumi couldn't blame her.

"Midoriya." Iida sat next to her smiling. "I just saw Uraraka on my way up here. She looked good and ready to take on the challenge."

"Let's hope she's up to the task." Izumi smiled back and turned to Kendo's page. "I don't have much information on Kendo because I didn't really get the chance to go up against her. Do you know what her quirk is?"

"Todoroki-kun and the rest of our team went against hers when she tried to go for the ten million points. Her fists can grow to a large size, and from what I saw during the recreational games she's very limber and cunning on her feet." He explained and held his chin studying the two carefully.

"Which probably means she has some kind of gymnastic or martial arts background." She scribbled in notes narrowing her eyes. "Hmmmm if her primary weapon is her fists this will give Uraraka an advantage... If she can avoid being grabbed by Kendo's fists and just focus her quirk correctly she can float Kendo right off the stage without any need for further physical attack."

"Mmm you're right… so it all comes down to whether or not Uraraka-kun can dodge Kendo's initial attack."

"Let the match… BEGIN!" Present Mic signaled the start of the battle. Uraraka pressed her fingers together lightening her body and preparing to dodge. Kendo, however didn't move. She stayed stagnant on her side of the ring.

"Hmmmm?" Izumi frowned and chewed on the end of her pencil. "Why is Kendo just standing there? She should be-" her thoughts drifted off when Uraraka started rushing forward. She could see it now, see the thought process of Uraraka's opponent. "URA-CHAN NO!"

Shit, Izumi thought with gritted teeth, too late. Kendo saw right through Uraraka's initial strategy. Enlarging both her fists she bat her hands like large fans creating gusts of winds. At less than half her initial body weight Uraraka felt her feet lift off the ground and she fell back and slid through the air unable to properly balance or weigh herself down.

"Release…" Uraraka pressed her hands together so her body could land but the damage was done. Knocked off her feet Kendo went in for the final strike. She bat Uraraka off the stage like a fly sending her skidding across the ground and out of bounds.

"Uraraka is out of bounds! Kendo moves on to the next round!" Midnight struck her hand through the air declaring Kendo's win.

Izumi grit her teeth as she looked down at her friend curled up on the grass, her fists clenched and body shaking. Sympathy tugged at Izumi's heart.

"Ahh she lost…" Monoma peaked his head over the wall his face twisted up in a sadistic smile. "Isn't class 1A supposed to be the superior class? Yet she lost so easily. Hey, isn't that strange? Isn't-" he choked on the last words as Izumi's sharp pencil tip appeared right between his eyes hovering there and threatening to spear right through his forehead.

"You talk pretty big for someone who lost in the preliminaries." Izumi growled her hair floating and eyes as sharp as her pencil tip. "I suggest you shut your trap before I rip out your tongue."

"Eh.. ah…" all the comebacks he'd had drained out of him as his gaze shifted down to Izumi. He'd been ready to smack her down for speaking like a villain, but the threat in her eyes was real. He fell limp and disappeared behind the wall, his legs going to jello. "Right."

Izumi called back her pencil and looked back at Iida.

"Let's go check on Ura-chan."

"Good idea." Iida nodded and the two of them raced up the steps and hurrying to meet up with Uraraka. Bakugo said nothing to Izumi as she passed by him, but his eyes followed her all the way. He hadn't said a word to her since he found out they'd be fighting each other. He didn't want to give her the chance to throw him off balance like she had when the tournament first started.

Still he'd watched her… and had seen the same look that had turned Monoma's legs to jello. The words she had spoken hadn't been empty threats, those words were spoken of someone who had every intention of carrying them out should her word be tested.

He stood up, stuffing his hands in his pockets he walked up the steps, deciding to take a walk around the arena to clear his head.

"It's times like that…" he whispered, more to himself than to anyone else in particular. "I wonder who the hell you are."

~Waiting Room A~

Uraraka had done her best to wave off her defeat greeting them both with a smile and voicing her frustrations… but Izumi had seen through it all. Too often did Izumi hide her own weak emotions with anger or laughter… and now to see it from Uraraka of all people damn near broke her heart.

"You fought hard, Ura-chan. Your strategy was right, but you let her goad you into making the first move. It was an honest mistake, and one you can learn from." She pat the top of her head. "You're strong, Ura-chan… but you don't know how to hone your strength yet that's all."

"Midoriya is right." Iida motioned in his usual robotic movements. "You charged head first into battle, that's not a sign of a coward or weakling. Grow smarter, grow wiser, and you'll undoubtedly grow stronger for it."

"Thanks you guys…" Uraraka pulled back wiping and sniffling. "I'm sorry I'm blubbering all over you like this, Midori-chan."

"Don't worry about it… I've been there, believe me." She pat her head. "Now come on, Yaoyorozu's fighting Tokoyami and I don't wanna-"

"YAOYOROZU IS OUT OF BOUNDS!" They all heard Midnight's voice over the loud speaker and Izumi's breath caught.

"What? Already!?" The three of them rushed up to the main floor just in time to catch the replay of the quick fight. Tokoyami had practically ushered Yaoyorozu out of the ring, careful not to hurt her by focusing his attacks on the shield she'd created to protect herself.

"You gotta be kidding me…" Izumi whispered and clenched her fists. Yaoyorozu was the top quirk user in their class. Her athletics and skill were above reproach and could only be challenged by Todoroki… and yet Tokoyami had beaten her so easily. "What the hell, Yao?"

"She barely did anything… all she could do was defend… she's gotta be so hurt and frustrated." Uraraka felt tears welling up again.

"Don't start that again." She slapped a palm against Uraraka's back. "Snap out of it… I'm gonna go have a talk with her." She walked away from Iida and Ochako to race down the levels and to Yaoyorozu.

She heard Yao's crying and turned the corner ready to comfort, but paused when she saw Bakugo standing over her scowling down.

"Oi! Creator chick!"

"Eh!?" Yaoyorozu gasped, her head shot up and stare up at Bakugo who sneered at her. "Bakugo-san? What are you doing here?"

"Don't look into it, I was going for a walk and you're in the way." He grunted when her head hung low. "Suck it up. Just because you lost one stupid match doesn't mean shit."

"Eh?" Yaoyorozu blinked in surprise, and Izumi also raised a quizzical brow. Was Kacchan… trying to comfort her? Why?

"Like I said don't look too much into it. I'm just tired of looking at your stupid sorry face! Where the hell is that woman who had no problem telling me everything I was doing wrong in battle practice, and who scolded me and Icy Hot about our behavior in rescue class? Have a spine where it counts!"

Izumi pulled back leaning against the wall and holding her heart. Something about what he said, something about the way he spoke to Yao was tripping her heart, making it pound and skip. The fact that Yaoyorozu immediately perked up from his rough comforting only made it worse.

"Thank you, Bakugo-san!" She said with a bright smile.

"Tch… please. Don't make me gag… out of the way." He shoved past her, and sneered ahead. When he turned the corner and found Izumi there his face went bright red and he stammered. "Usagi! You.. How… grrrr why are you just standing there?!"

"Eavesdropping" She admitted leaning back against the wall and staring up into the face of her childhood friend. "You said pretty much everything I was going to say… only with less tact." She offered a genuine smile. "I never considered you the compassionate type."

"Shut the hell up, I didn't do it for her benefit. Like I said I was sick of looking at her pathetic face." He turned his back to her and stuffed his hands in his pockets irritably.

"It's frustrating to lose…" Izumi admitted and she lay a hand on his back. "What's even more frustrating is the way you lose. Shoji, Setsuna, Uraraka, and Yao all lost against their opponents but I think Yaoyorozu has it the worst. The others lost taking the initiative, fighting against their opponents with everything they had… but all Yao could do was defend… she couldn't find any moment to attack so in the end she felt helpless and even more defeated."

Bakugo said nothing but he turned towards her. The hand she placed on his back now gripped his forearm and squeezed tight. She trembled and grit her teeth as the next words she spoke came out shaky and full of temper.

"I won against you in Combat practice… but despite what I said and did it wasn't a true victory for me. Did you think I wouldn't notice that you held back? Did you think I wouldn't notice that you were trying to get me to back down so you wouldn't hurt me?" She lifted her head the tears welling up in those green eyes, and for a brief moment he saw his Usagi, and his face softened. "You've always had your own way of showing that you care… you've always done what you could to protect me even if it meant shoving me down where you thought I'd be safe."

"Usagi…" he lay a hand on her cheek rubbing a tear away and she lifted her hand over his cupping it there.

"I know it… I've always known it… but I hate it!" She admitted openly. "I hate being protected all the time Kacchan, that's not who I want to be." She paused when Reiko of class B walked past them, giving them wary stares. When she finally turned the corner and was out of ear shot Izumi continued. "There's one fight left before we have to take the stage. I don't want another empty victory like before. Not with you." She stepped back from him and those weepy eyes turned confident and her smile brazen. "I want an undisputed victory against you… so don't you dare hold back. Come at me with everything!"

Bakugo stare at her a long time, for once in his life having no real idea of what to say to her, or how to respond. So he did the first thing that came to mind.

He kissed her.

Grabbing her face in both his hands he plundered her mouth with his own, the kiss so turbulent Izumi felt as if she were riding a tornado of emotion. When they parted both were breathless and trembling from the wild ride of it. Bakugo placed his forehead against hers and his grin spread wide.

"I'll fucking destroy you." He promised and had her own confident smile spreading.

"I can't wait to see you try."

_**~Ask Briry~**_

_**Briry: Took me a couple days before I was satisfied with this chapter. I based this story off the same timeline as Midori the Rabbit but I didn't want to directly steal from the original fic. So what I did was select what I thought were the key ingredients I needed to really flesh the chapter out. I hope you enjoyed it. **_

_**Next Chapter: Usagi Vs. Kacchan**_


	22. Usagi Vs Kacchan

**Midori the Villain**

**Chapter 22: Usagi vs. Kacchan**

Hitoshi Shinso stood on the right wing of the center stage, his tired eyes focused on his female opponent. She didn't appear very physically fit or athletic, but that didn't matter much to him. He wasn't looking to beat up a girl, especially if she possessed a quirk that could easily best him. He had only one strategy… and it would be enough.

"Well then… let's end this quick." He smiled at her and walked over to her casually. Reiko tensed up and she looked around suspiciously as if preparing for some kind of sneak attack.

"Your name is Reiko-chan, right? It's a pleasure to meet you." He paused when he saw she was spooked. He held up his hands defensively. "Sorry, do I frighten you?"

"You don't frighten me," she admitted and frowned. "You-" she drifted off, her eyes going blank and Shinso smirked.

"Looks like I win…" he murmured and then spoke up. "Are you sure I don't scare you? You look scared stiff."

Reiko stare blankly at him, in her mind she mentally screamed at herself to respond, to move, but she couldn't move at all.

"I understand, it's a big stage, a big arena, and we all want to win." He laughed and narrowed his eyes on her. "So I don't mind taking the win since you're too scared to fight. Walk off the stage, and we'll put it all behind us."

Reiko turned and to the surprise of everyone walked numbly to the edge of the stage and stepped off the platform.

"W-W-WHAT!?" Present Mic shouted in disbelief. "He hasn't stood out this entire time, could it be Shinso's actually someone incredible?"

"That's why I said the entrance exams aren't rational." Eraserhead sighed looking down at the sheets in his hands. One look at the kid's quirk and he knew the boy would turn heads. His quirk wasn't flashy or all that present in comparison to most hero quirks… but it could very well be the most useful quirk to subdue an opponent non-lethally.

"Well that was fast…" Present Mic cleared his throat. "Okay let's just jump right into the next one!"

**~meanwhile~**

Izumi stepped to the side as Reiko walked past her, the affects of Shinso's quirk having worn off and leaving her confused and frustrated over her loss. Tears slipped down her pale cheeks and she hung her head low to avoid Izumi's direct eye contact.

Poor girl… Izumi thought and she narrowed her eyes on Shinso… in terms of frustrating losses that had to be the worst way to lose. No wonder Ojiro had decided to drop out… imagine having so much will to fight, but your body refused to respond. If she won, and Izumi planned on doing just that, she would have to figure out just what triggered the hypnotism so she could avoid having the same fate.

"Let's jump right into the next one!" She heard Present Mic shout and her stomach immediately went into knots. "He's stayed in the top three all day, but has yet to come out in first. Can he do it here? From the Hero Course, it's Katsuki Bakugo! Versus the small but mighty girl who came in first during the cavalry battle! From the Hero Course, It's Izumi Midoriya!"

She'd been looking forward to facing Kacchan again ever since combat practice. She'd won that particular exercise, but as she confessed to him before it hadn't felt like a true victory. She'd outsmarted him, outmaneuvered him, but he had overpowered her. Had he not boasted and insisted she admit defeat he could have bound her hands leaving her unable to help her partner.

Kacchan wasn't stupid, just arrogant. He knew her game now, and he wouldn't be so easily fooled a second time. The same kind of tactics she'd used during combat training would not work in a one on one battle. Knowing she'd have to fight somewhere along the line she'd spent all her time training to get stronger. Once Mirio was in the picture she'd formed a much clearer picture in her head on how she could handle the battle, but she wished she had more time.

Izumi looked up at the screen as her and Bakugo's pictures displayed on screen. It used to be she'd tense up whenever a camera was pointed in her direction, but looking at her face now it was composed and confident… a facade she'd perfected. She was determined not to let her nerves show... not to let her weakness show.

Taking a slow and steady breath she finished the climb to the stairs and let the confident smile spread on her lips. She placed a hand on her hip and stood tall and proud on Bakugo's opposing side. The guy she'd locked lips with only a few moments ago stare firmly at her, eyes bold red and cunning.

"You sure you want to do this? I planned to take it easy on you, but you seem so insistent on dying." Bakugo cracked his knuckles watching Izumi's eyes flicker with momentary fear and then cloud over. Stupid rabbit, he thought, she always took the hard way out even if she was afraid of it.

"I have no intention on dying, Kacchan." She held out her hand letting her quirk glow around it. "Not by your hands, at least."

**~Up in the rafters~**

Todoroki stood behind his class section, leaning on the railing with his hands folded together and eyes narrowed on the field. His stomach was twisting in knots over this fight, and he hoped whatever the outcome it would end soon and stop this emotional rollercoaster in his heart.

"Midoriya…" he whispered her name with gritted teeth. No matter who won this was a lose/lose for him. He wanted Midoriya to lose so he wouldn't have to face her personally… but at the same time he hated the thought of seeing her broken down and defeated at the hands of Bakugo.

"Oh my stomach…" He heard Uraraka complain and fidget in her seat. She and Iida were both on the edge of their seats, dreading and anticipating this fight.

"I almost don't want to watch the outcome of this." Jiro rubbed her arms. "Just thinking about their combat training gives me chills."

"I bet a box of gummies that Izumi knocks Bakugo down a peg." Ashido waved the box of sweets in question.

"I'll take that bet!" Kaminari raised one of his own. "No way Bakugo's gonna let a girl beat him in hand to hand combat."

"Ha, shows what you know, Kaminari." Both of them handed their boxes to Yaoyorozu who played mediator. "Izumi's used to handling dangerous men."

"Hmmm?" Todoroki was the first to pick up on this tidbit. He narrowed his eyes."Dangerous men?"

"Shhhh! Mina-chan we're not supposed to talk about that!" Tohru scolded and had all the boys interest picking up.

"Not supposed to talk about what?" Kirishima blinked in confusion. "What other dangerous men does Midoriya know?"

"No one!" The girl's say simultaneously. Luckily the fight started, and Bakugos initial heavy explosion diverted their attention back to the center ring.

"WHOA!" Present Mic called out over the intercom. "Bakugo starts off with a massive explosion! The guy's not taking any chances! Is the battle one already?"

Bakugo stayed poised to strike, his eyes scanning the smoke for movement. Something flew up and his eyes lifted up and he spotted Izumi's overshirt floating just above his head. His quick reflexes had him spotting Izumi sprinting straight through the smoke and at him. He raised his hand to strike out again immediately but the shirt fell and covered his eyes.

"WHAT THE- OOOF!" Izumi's fist connected with his stomach, his breath whooshed out and he skid back on his heels gasping for air and snarling. How the hell had she packed so much power into that punch?

It was working, Izumi thought with a satisfied smirk. Her initial plan to use a barrier to protect herself against Kacchan's blast would have been affected, but left her unable to match his speed and strength. Now instead she wrapped the extra energy around her fists and feet giving boosts to her movement and strength so she could keep up with his quick reflexes and physical oppression.

Knowing it wouldn't take him long to recuperate she went for another hit, smashing her fist right under his jaw that knocked him off his feet. He rolled out of the way tossing her shirt aside and jettisoning another explosion left her burned and dirty, but she could handle the pain. She'd had experienced worse, way worse.

"Damn you, USAGI!"

"Stop calling me that!" She screamed back at him and jumped kicking him on the side of the face, but gasped when his hand snagged her ankle and he whipped her around and sent her flying. She landed and scraped up against the concrete. The wind was knocked out of her, but she pushed to her feet racing right at him again. The battle had to stay fast paced; she couldn't afford to take a breather, couldn't afford to lose the momentum she was gaining. She had to keep moving, had to keep attacking, because the moment she stopped his guard would be up and he'd be more prepared for the attack she had planned. She had to wait for just the right moment to unleash it, or she'd waste her energy again, and indefinitely lose.

"Unbelievable!" Present Mic, filled with the rush of battle and excitement was out of his seat. He clenched his fists punching them in the air as if he were fighting with them. "It's only the first round and these two are fighting like it's the finals! Neither of the are letting up!"

"Get him Izumi!" Mina shouted cupping her hands around her lips. "Come on knock him out!"

"She's really giving him a fight," Kirishima nodded in approval, then winced when Bakugo sent her flying again with a massive explosion. "Though, of course, Bakugo isn't making it easy on her."

"I wonder why Izumi isn't using her quirk to defend against his blasts." Uraraka wondered aloud.

"She's conserving her energy." Tokoyami spoke up from behind her leaning back with arms crossed. "The shield is little good if she can't determine how powerful Bakugo's blasts are gonna be. If the shield isn't strong enough to withstand its force she'll just end up wasting energy defending against him. So she's putting that energy into good use and boosting her attack power and is doing her best to avoid his explosions altogether."

"She doesn't have any outside materials she could use as projectiles either." Iida nodded and held his chin as he watched the fight. "She was able to use her shirt as a means of distraction and it's been helping her get in some clean hits, but it won't do her much good. She also can't use lethal means so making weapons from that energy is out of the question. This is the best route for her."

"If you say so…" Uraraka whimpered and covered her face at the next explosion. "Still this is really getting hard to watch. I hope Midori-chan comes up with something soon."

"Hey is this really alright?" A stray hero jumped at the next explosion. "I mean they're both talented but the explosion kid is hardly taking any damage whereas the girl…" the point was emphasized by Izumi's cry of pain as Bakugo caught her in the side with a direct explosion. She toppled and rolled. She got to her feet but staggered and fell back down to her knees panting.

"Yeah I think you're right… Hey Cementoss call the match! This is getting out of hand!" Another spectator agreed. When cementoss ignored him, more and more people started to call out for interference.

"I can't watch this anymore!" A guy stood up calling out. "You call yourself a hero? Stop bullying the poor girl and send her out of the ring!"

"Hah?" Izumi's head slowly rose up at this and she eyed the small crowd that was rioting. "Poor girl?" What the hell were they all talking about? Didn't they see her fighting back? Didn't they see her putting all her effort into this fight? How the hell did they justify this as bullying?

Bakugo stopped moving as well, the crowd's words were a distant echo and didn't affect him in the least… but he saw the look on Izumi's face, saw the color drain out of it and the emotion turmoil in her eyes. He kept his guard up, but stopped attacking allowing Izumi to collect herself and get to her feet. There was plenty of fight still left in those eyes, and something else he knew that was brewing in that chaotic mind of hers.

The roar of the crowd got louder and Izumi's teeth grit. She couldn't fight back the irritation or anger boiling and she shot her hand out. Midnight let out a small squeak of surprise as her headmic ripped from her and straight into Izumi's hand.

"SHUT THE HELL UP!" She screamed into the small mic, some feedback screeching through the speaker. The crowd went silent and all eyes went to the shaking yet fury eyed Izumi. "Who the hell do you think you are trying to stop my fight? I'm still standing aren't I? I'm still fighting! Kacchan isn't bullying me, he's taking me seriously as an opponent which is more than I can say for the lot of you! I swear... the next person who makes me sound like I'm some helpless victim…" Her shadowed eyes lifted to camera, and displayed all across the panels so the entire arena felt the bone chill of her words. "...is gonna regret it."

Silence fell over the stage and Izumi held out the mic floating it back to Midnight who took it and hooked it back into place.

"Uh… is that allowed?" Present Mic said breaking the silence. Aizawa who had been prepared to defend Bakugo sat down in his seat again letting out a sigh of relief.

"She didn't use the mic as part of the battle… and her words hold truth so I'll allow it." She snapped her whip grinning. "Let the battle continue!"

"Sorry for the interruption, Kacchan." Izumi laughed breathlessly and wiped sweat from her cheek.

"It's fine… you ready to get serious, Izumi?" He crouched, his hands held out in attack mode.

"Yeah…" She smiled, her eyes still filled with turmoil. Damn, she thought, she just couldn't calm herself down. Her quirk was flowing out freely, her hair fluttering around her face and pebbles from Bakugo's debris floating around her. "I was saving this attack as a last ditch effort… but it looks like I don't have the calm to hold back anymore."

"Hold back?" He grunted and his eyes narrowed. "You saying you've been holding out on me? You looking down on me, Usagi?"

"No…" she laughed again and crouched to one knee placing her hand on the concrete. "On the contrary… I think you're incredible." Her eyes lifted to him and he watched them go solid black. "Which is why I want to beat you!"

Bakugo lost his breath as Izumi's energy flowed out of her like long sinewy tentacles whipping around her. They launched out and he attacked out of instinct, pain ripped up his arms as fear caused him to use full force but it wasn't enough. The tentacles thrashed and latched onto him, around his arms, his throat, his waist and he choked and gasped staring wide eyed as Izumi stepped through the smoke of his explosion.

"How… How did you…"

"Part of the game is knowing who your opponent is. If I used this at the start of the match you would have been at full strength and expecting every possible outcome. I also knew this battle would get emotional and emotions strengthen my quirk. As you can see…" She laughed quietly, the tentacles lashing out and even taking swipes at the nearby onlookers who screech and cower to avoid being hit.

"Usagi!" He unleashed blast after blast, the tentacles moving and writhing with him to accommodate against the blasts.

"You said you would never let me beat you again… and you were true to your word. You're not giving me this victory like you did before. Even if it's just for this moment I clearly outpower you. So take a good look at me, Kacchan." She stood there, scraped up, bruised, bleeding, and yet still so strong and intimidating. Her eyes were the clencher, the eyes of a stranger that he'd feared since he'd first looked into them. "I'm not Usagi anymore."

"No…" he grit even as he continued to struggled. "No you're not my Usagi."

"Now that we have that understanding…" She whispered with a sinister grin and the tentacles thrust out until he was embedded into the side of the brick wall. Once again silence fell over the stadium at the sudden shock of Izumi's full use of her power. Midnight walked out onto the stadium and rose her whip over Izumi's head.

"Bakugo is out of bounds! Midoriya moves onto the next round!"

"Heh… Checkmate." Izumi smiled and turned… but as her powered died down, and the rush of adrenaline left her Izumi stumbled. Her vision blurred and everything went black as she tumbled down onto the stage floor.

**~Recovery Girl's Office~**

"You're worried for nothing." Recovery girl sighed as she wrapped Izumi's burn. The girl lay passed out in bed, pale and bandaged and All Might stood next to her in shrunken form. "Most of her injuries are minor scrapes and burns. She just needs some time to regain some stamina. Once she's awake she's more than capable of competing again."

"Thank Goodness…" All Might breathed a sigh of relief. "She caught us all off guard with that attack. I had no idea her quirk could be so powerful. It was like watching all her internal emotions and conflicts had come out to surface and were waging war. I'm surprised young Bakugo wasn't more seriously harmed."

"Controlled Chaos…" Recovery girl tapped her cane gently over Izumi's head. "That small shred of control she has over that chaotic energy is probably what kept her from not to simply emptying herself out. If she truly loses control, I doubt there's a hero on this planet that could save her from herself."

"I know it…" All Might could only imagine what that quirk would have done had he given her One for All on top of it. The two of those powers combined would be devastating if not kept in check. He gently brushed hair from Izumi's pale face, his eyes holding an affection and a deep seeded need to mend the injured heart. This girl had become like a daughter to him… and he wanted to protect her. It's why he had entrusted Mirio to help her with her training and to give her someone to look up to and learn from.

"MIDORIYA!"

"MIDORI-CHAN!"

A rush of her classmates bursting through the door had All Might choking on his own blood and he pulled back allowing them to clutter around and croon at her. He stepped back and out seeing as she was now surrounded by friends. When he walked out he spotted Todoroki and Bakugo in the hall, both leaning on the wall and not stepping inside.

"Aren't you two going to join your classmates?" He asked, and got dual glares. "Guess not." He waved at them, happy he wasn't recognized or questioned, and walked away. Todoroki eyed him briefly before speaking up.

"How butt hurt are you about losing?" He spoke openly.

"Shut the hell up, IcyHot." Bakugo grumbled and rubbed his sore wrist "I doubt any opponent she was up against could fight off that power. Kuso… she'd been toying with me the entire time."

"No she hadn't…" Todoroki confirmed. "I doubt she had any real plan to use that power on you."

"What are you talking about?" Bakugo glared at him. "You some kind of expert on her now?"

"I'm looking at it from a spectator's point of view. Izumi was giving that fight her all. If she really wanted to play with you she could have just shielded herself against your attacks until she was riled up enough to unleash her ultimate attack. Instead she fought you head on… got beaten up, burned, and knocked around. She wanted a real fight, she wanted to prove she was stronger than you… but she wasn't. Without that attack she would have lost… the fact she passed out directly after using it proves that."

"Tch… damn it." He hated that Todoroki was right. Izumi had clearly stated that she didn't want him to hold back. She said she was grateful both of them would be at full strength when they fought. That didn't sound calculated, or tactful… it sounded like a fight was more than just a stepping stone for her… it was a chance for her to make her point, and to prove she wasn't a victim… and that stupid booing crowd had just added fuel to her fire.

"Either way, you're taking the loss a lot better than I thought you would." Todoroki pointed out and stood up straight. He pocketed his hands and turned to Bakugo. "Or are you still in shock?"

"It's not-" Bakugo started to tell him it was none of his business… but felt the fight die from his word. "I don't know her anymore…" He admitted fisted his hands and also shoved them in his pockets. "This girl who we've been going to school with isn't at all like the girl I grew up with. The girl I knew was small, weak, timid…" he started to insult then his eyes grew soft and sorrowful. "She had a smile that could make you go weak in the knees… and eyes so full of hope and happiness she'd make you believe in miracles. This girl… the one I lost to… her smile either makes my blood run cold or burns me up inside. Her eyes are that of a stranger that's been tormented and is determined to survive by any means necessary."

"Ah…" Todoroki agreed with the surmise. "I don't know the Midoriya that you did… I only see her the way she is now." He looked back at Bakugo, saw the slump in his stance. "I like her just the way she is… even if she is a bit broken inside."

"It's the damnedest thing…" Bakugo laughed at himself. "I used to hate the fact she followed me everywhere. To me it was like having a pet who was begging for attention, someone I had to take care of… someone you couldn't help but have affection for even if they pissed you off half the time." He pulled out his hands staring into the palms. He relieved the look in Izumi's eyes… and recalled her sweet happy voice calling out to him, the two images mixing together and churning him up. When the tears started to fall he cursed and covered his face "I never thought I'd actually miss her."

**~Ask Briry~**

**Briry: I may have rushed this a bit. I hope I hit all the key points. Did you guys enjoy it? Let me hear your thoughts in the comments!**

**Next Chapter: Snapped Control**


	23. Snapped Control

**Midori the Villain**

**Chapter 23: Snap of Control**

"Hosu?" Izumi spoke into her phone with Kurogiri, staying tucked away in a hall away from prying ears as the second round fights started.

"Yes, I've finally tracked the Hero Killer to Hosu. He and the Hero Ingenium are currently locked in battle."

"Ingenium…" Izumi's eyes shifted to the fight between Iida and Todoroki, her wince visible. "Well that's a lose/lose battle."

"Karma?"

"Nothing…" she shifted her gaze away and hardened it. "Keep me posted." She turned off her phone sighing heavily. "Ingenium huh? Of all the heroes why did he have to attract the attention of that one?"

That fight was gonna end one of three ways. Either Ingenium captured the Hero Killer and cut off herthe source of publicity that she needed, or The Hero Killer would injure/kill her friend's older brother. She didn't care for either scenario.

"You there…" Footsteps from behind her made Izumi tense up. She had felt eyes on her before, and now it was confirmed. She slowly let her eyes drift over and narrowed them on the man now strutting to her.

"Endeavor… well this is a surprise." She murmured and offered a smile. "Yes?"

"Izumi Midoriya, that's your name isn't it?" He stood in front of her and crossed his arms with a tall and powerful presence that threatened to overwhelm her. The man was trying to intimidate her, and the hard truth was it was working. Izumi could feel a cold line of sweat drip down her back, but she'd be damned if it would show on her face.

"Yes sir…" She held out her hand for a shake. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm a classmate and friend of your son's."

"So I've noticed…" He took stock of this tiny young woman. At first glance she didn't look like much. She was petite, her looks plain but appealing, and her voice was sweet and friendly. It didn't fool him though. Watching her in competition he knew all of that soft and gentleness could turn on its head. "Your first match was impressive, and your quirk quite unique."

"Thank you, though it didn't go quite as I planned I'm happy for the victory." Since he refused her hand, like father like son, she set it on her hip and took a confident stance to match against his intimidation.

"Back in my school days I had a colleague with a similar ability, though he didn't have the control that you do. Due to the instability of his quirk he wound up hurting himself and other people, and was put into a correctional facility."

Izumi's back tensed up and her eyes went hard and focused. So… Izumi thought… that's where Sensei had gotten this quirk. He passed it onto her, knowing her mind would be able to better control it.

"I see… forgive me if I've got the wrong impression, Endeavor, but that almost sounded like a threat to me."

"It's a warning, child." He sneered at her. "I'm not blind, I see that my Shoto has eyes on you. Whether or not you have any intention of reciprocating those feelings doesn't matter to me. I want you to keep yourself and your dangerous quirk away from him. He's bound for greatness, and your instability will only get in his way."

"That's funny…" no longer intimidated, and completely riled up Izumi's eyes went sharp as daggers. Her teeth bare in a smug smile and she stepped toe to toe with the man. "The only person I see standing in the way of his greatness is you."

"I beg your pardon?" He unfolded his arms and let his hands fall at his side.

"Todoroki-kun told me all about you, Endeavor." She laughed. "So butt hurt about being second to All Might that you forced your teachings and pride on the children you so meticulously nurtured. Driving your wife to the breaking point. It's no wonder he's giving you the cold shoulder."

Endeavor grit his teeth and he made a grab for her.

"You little-" his hand stopped just inches before touching her. Her energy locked at his wrist yanking it away from her shoulder where he meant to grab.

"Relax, I don't intend to break his confidence on such a sensitive matter." She let him go, but took a clean step away from him turning her back to prove she wasn't afraid of him. Instead her eyes went to the fight below, Kirishima and Kendo going head to head in a full on fist fight. "I have more tact than that."

"Blackmail?"

"Tch, hardly." She waved off the notion. "I've more than enough money. There's nothing you or he could offer me that I can't get on my own. Unlike you I actually care about him. I think he has all the potential in the world to be a top hero, but your lack of compassion and blind goals are a tight leash that's keeping him from reaching the pinnacle of his power. He will always resent you, and in turn resents himself because he holds half of you."

Who the hell was this kid? Endeavor though narrowing his eyes on the girl. He'd taken an interest only because Shoto had been distracted by her… but now he saw why his son was so intent on this girl. She was nothing like the shameless harlot or the wild persona he thought her to be.

"My son was right about you…" He admitted to her and she glanced back with a slightly raised brow. "You understand him far better than I do."

"We understand each other to a degree… I too know what it's like to have a tight leash around my neck. Lucky for me I broke free of it… and unless your son does the same his future as a hero will be just as disappointing as yours." She waved her hand. "If you'll excuse me, I'd like to relax a bit before my next match. It was nice meeting you, Hellfire Hero."

"Izumi Midoriya…" Endeavor whispered her name and a slow smirk slowly spread over his lips. "You might just be the answer to all my problems."

**~Class 1A section~**

"Ah Midori-chan there you are!" Uraraka jumped up waving her hand as Izumi walked down to join them. "How are you feeling?"

"Rested, and raring to go." Izumi smiled and took a seat looking out at the fight. "Looks like Kendo and Kirishima are gonna go at it for awhile. Kirishima's hardening gives him an edge but Kendo is tougher than she looks and is working around it."

"Mmmm, but Kirishima will win. I have faith." Uraraka pumped her fists eagerly.

"I think so too, providing he doesn't make any careless mistakes." She lounged back in her seat. "A shame about Iida. I caught the last dregs of his match… he wasn't able to overcome Todoroki's ice attack."

"Yeah it is a shame. He did really well in the beginning and it looked like he was gonna pull out another surprise victory, but Todoroki got the better of him in the end." Uraraka sighed heavily.

"Mmmm I don't really think it matters which one of these guys wins… Hand to hand combat isn't much good against a powerful quirk like his. Todoroki is going to the finals…" her eyes focused on the upcoming match ups. After Kendo and Kirishima's fight Tokoyami would take on Ashido… and considering their abilities and combat prowess she was certain Tokoyami would come out victorious. Which left her and Shinso.

"Ojiro-kun." She spoke up suddenly catching his attention.

"Eh? Yeah Midoriya?" He looked at her a bit weirded out she spoke his name so suddenly.

"You mind coming with me to the waiting room once the match is over? I'd like to ask you a few questions." She motioned with her pointer finger.

**~Meanwhile~**

"Make yourselves at home." Shigaraki motioned his three guests through the portal and into Izumi's flat. He lounged on the couch kicking his feet up and letting them wander around curiously. "You break anything you pay for it."

"Nice place…" Giran, a villain broker, spoke and held up a cigarette. "Got an ashtray?"

"Here…" Kurogiri offered it to him then looked to the other two in the room. The girl made him a bit wary as she bounced around excitedly, picking up random objects and peering out the wide open window with a crazed expression. The man, though more intimidating looking, seemed to have a calmer persona and one he could see Karma getting along with. "Can I get you lot some refreshments? Our queen won't be home until late."

"I won't turn down free food, but I would like to know why the hell I'm here." The man complained eyeing the girl with just as much suspicion as the others. "I'm not looking to join any loser gangs."

"Now, now, Dabi…" Giran waved him down. "This isn't your typical villain gang. Shigaraki and Kurogiri are part of the infamous League of Villains that launched the attack on U.A."

"I reiterate… why am I here? I don't care about killing All Might or pushing around a bunch of half pints." Dabi sneered but took a seat at the breakfast bar.

"Hey, hey, is it true if we stay here we'll get to meet Stain?" The girl ran over to Shigaraki shaking his shoulders. He shrugged her off glaring.

"Don't touch me, Toga… and our Queen's plan is to align ourselves with Stain and his cause. I'll let her explain all that nonsense when she gets back."

"Queen this, Queen that… who the hell is this woman?" Dabi tapped his fingers irritably on the table and eyed the food set in front of him. Toga jumped on a stool next to him and stabbed her sandwich before cutting it herself. Dabi scooted a little further away from her.

"After our encounter with the heroes at USJ, the League of Villains went through a change in power. Our Queen, Karma, is now our financial back and our tactician."

"You're telling me that this woman took charge and is running things." He turned his head smirking at Shigaraki. "What does that make you?"

"Her King…" Shigaraki said with pride. "Karma would have no power at all without me. So mind your tongue."

"From the way I see it, it's the other way around." Dabi held up a chip circling it in the air to emphasize his point and then crunched into it.

"Listen you…" Shigaraki started to stand but Kurogiri interjected.

"Now, now, Shigaraki. He'll soon come to see how we function around here. Either way we need them to at least hear us out so that we can increase our ranks."

"Tch… fine." He snapped the television back on, the U.A. Sports Festival coming on just as Tokoyami sealed his victory against Ashido."Do what you like."

"Well, since I'm here I'll help myself as well." Giran snagged alcohol from the minibar in the kitchen and poured himself a whisky. "I don't know if this little venture will be profitable, but these surroundings do leave me hopeful."

"If the people you brought here are inclined to join then you will be paid as promised. Karma will see to it." Kurogiri promised.

"Please see that she does. I accepted Shigaraki's request because business is slow, and I'd like to get the cash flow up and running not just for myself but my other contacts as well." Giran took a long swig of his whisky. "I know several people in the black market who are eager to provide people like you with support goods… but in order to advance business they'll need a show of power. Preferably the kind that makes tabloids."

"I wouldn't worry about that." Kurogiri glanced to the TV, Izumi and Shinso's picture quickly pop on screen as they shift to the next bout. "Karma has a way of gaining the right kind of attention."

**~Back at the Festival~**

Before the match Izumi spent a good while talking with Ojiro about his encounter with Shinso Hitoshi. Izumi knew what his quirk was now that she'd seen it in action against Reiko from Class B… but she was unsure of the trigger.

After her encounter with Monoma she didn't feel comfortable waltzing over to Reiko to ask her, so she went to the next primary source.

"Vocal recognition? That's his trigger?" Izumi pressed her fingers to her lips. That could be problematic. She'd be the first to admit she had a hard time keeping her mouth shut when provoked.

"I'm almost positive. He wasn't able to get to me until I answered his question just before the second round. I don't remember much after that, I knew my body was moving, but it was like trying to see through thick layers of fog. I couldn't think clearly, couldn't really see anything, and sounds were muffled echoes in my head. When I finally snapped awake the second round was over. I knew I was running, knew my body was reacting to something, but I can't quite put together the details in my head."

"So you were present, but you didn't sense the change of time or place. Your mind was cut off from the rest of you." Izumi summarized and got a nod of confirmation. "I see… so it's not just about taking away someone's cognitive thoughts… he's completely separating your mind from your body, telling it what to do."

That spelled trouble… unlike most physical quirks hers was almost directly linked to her mind. If the two were cut off than her power could spiral out of control and she couldn't afford to waste so much energy on a small match. Not when she had to face Tokoyami in the third round, and more than likely Todoroki in the finals.

"You alright Midoriya? You're looking a bit pale." He hesitated before reaching out to put a hand to her head but she jerked away.

"Sorry… I'm just worried. I'm not really scared about losing the match." She fibbed with a visible wince and diverted her eyes. "It's more that I don't like being controlled."

Not again… Izumi thought with a sharp look... she would never be controlled again.

"You just have to make sure not to answer him when he talks to you." Ojiro reassured and stood up smiling. "You're smart Izumi… I'm sure you can figure out a way to avoid being tethered by him."

"Heh.. right." She laughed and stood straight with her chin up. "I'm not about to be lea-" She paused and her eyes widened a little as a thought crossed her mind. "Then again… that just might be the answer I'm looking for." She grinned and slapped a hand against Ojiro's back making him cough in surprise. "Thanks for your help, Ojiro-kun."

"HACK! Ow… Anytime Midoriya." He winced and rubbed his shoulder as he walked out. Izumi immediately left after him. She quickly went to the teacher's area to speak with an official.

"Excuse me, but I need to speak to Midnight-sensei. It's about my upcoming match and it's really important."

"Are you withdrawing?" He asked and Izumi tried not to appear irritated. Instead she put on her best worried face, added a few teary eyes for effect.

"I'm hoping it doesn't have to come down to that. You see it's about my quirk… I'd like to take a handicap."

**~A few minutes later~**

Present Mic sighed heavily into his microphone. These first years were really something else. After being a spokesperson for these tournaments for years you'd think he'd have seen it all. Yet at every turn these students continue to surprise him. He was anxious to see what was next, but after Tokoyami's victory, Midnight was called for an official ruling regarding the next match which held things up.

"I just got the okay go for the next match!" He tapped his earcom when Midnight gave him the all clear to restart the match. "Let's not waste time! Bring them out!"

"He completely threw us all for a loop in the first match and is now gaining fast attention. From the General Course it's Shinso Hitoshi!" Shinso was the first to walk out, his head held up proud, happy that he'd been able to make it this far into the competition with little struggle. He knew his next opponent would be strong, so he'd have to get her talking early. Afterwhich...

"Versus the girl who had an astounding victory against her explosive opponent, from the He- HEY WHAT GIVES?!"

Shock… Bafflement… and some outrage…

Those were the emotions of the audience that watched Izumi walk onto the field and up the stairs of the platform. Izumi paid them no mind, because she'd fully expected it. She knew she liked to talk when provoked, because she enjoyed the satisfaction of using her smarts and words to make her opponent look like a damn fool. If she talked in this round, however, she'd be the one who was the fool.

So the only way she could gain satisfaction with silence is if she provoked first. In order to ensure that, she had to make a statement… a silent but effective one.

"WHY IS MIDORIYA IN QUIRK RESTRAINTS!?" Present Mic shouted in disbelief.

Izumi stood on the center stage, the quirk restraints in question were like a straight jacket, a thick white coat with cuffs on the neck and wrist that wound negate any quirk activity and forced her arms into a down position where they were tied together.

"What in the hell?" Kirishima wiped his eyes wondering if he was seeing things. "What's going on?"

"She's completely bound up, how is she going to be able to fight like this?" Uraraka worried pressing her hands in a prayer position.

Shinso blinked and babbled a bit as he stare at his opponent completely baffled.

"Midnight! Would you care to give us an explanation for Midoriya's attire." Aizawa logically questioned over the speaker and Midnight grinned a bit sadistically.

"Gladly, Shota-kun…" She licked her lips. "Midoriya has requested a quirk restraint handicap, and I've obliged her. For this fight she will not be able to use her quirk."

"You're seriously allowing this?" Present Mic continued to question Midnight's motives.

"I am… Taking her powerful and hard to control quirk into consideration she worried whether or not Shinso's quirk would cause it to go out of control. As a precaution she's asked that we alleviate the danger, by restraining her quirk. She is determined to put the safety of her opponent and the audience first before her chances of victory. I see no reason why I should fault her for that. So I've allowed it."

"Midoriya…" Mineta's face shadowed over. "I had no idea you were a BDSM girl."

"What the hell are you thinking, Midoriya?" Todoroki grit his teeth, eyes wide and filled with worry and puzzlement.

"Ha! Now that's ballsy!" Bakugo laughed unable to help himself.

"Bakugo this is hardly a laughing matter!" Iida complained.

"Yeah, Iida's right. Midoriya's at a serious disadvantage." Kirishima agreed.

"Yeah right!" Bakugo continued to laugh and held his sides. "Look at that smug face! She's taunting him. She's got droopy eyes right where she wants him."

"Eh?" All eyes focused on Midoriya. It was true, Izumi looked calm and was smiling at Shinso as if she were sporting a little black dress rather than a straight jacket.

Shinso clenched his fists, his teeth set and eyes focused on her face. The hell was this? Did she seriously think she could take him on with her hands tied? Was that how weak she saw him? Present Mic gave the signal for the match to start and he wasted no time in shouting at her.

"You sure do like attention don't you?" He coaxed, and Izumi returned it with a smug smile and careless shrug of shoulders. She didn't have to say anything to get under his skin… just the sight of her was enough to ruffle his feathers. "You're such an eyesore! Showing off your flashy quirk, thinking you're better than everyone else, but you're not the only one in U.A. who wants to be a hero!"

That's right… Izumi thought with a low chuckle in her throat. You keep on taunting, keep on trying to break me. She looked him dead on, and despite her quirk being deactivated Izumi felt an odd sense of presence and power. The look in his eyes, the fury and fear building up as he lost the grip on his controls. I've had stronger and more powerful men attempt to do what you thought you could do so easily… but I had you beat the moment I walked out on stage.

Shinso huffed and shouted until his voice went raw… his resolve quavering at her intimidating presence that coated the stage like an eerie black mist. He felt a cold beat of sweat drip down the side of his face when she started to walk towards him, a slow sashay of hips… the chains on the arms shifted and caused a low clinking that added to the already frightening atmosphere. Unable to help himself Shinso took several steps back.

"Stop looking at me like that!" He accused, those piercing green eyes of hers looking straight through his soul. "SAY SOMETHING DAMN IT!" He lashed out, raising a fist to strike her when she was within attacking distance.

It all happened in a blur, his fist barely missed hitting her right cheek. She ducked low under the arm, twisting her body so her foot came up and kicked him hard in the ribs. His breath choked out and he felt his feet leave the ground. His body smacked back down on the concrete, rolled, and landed neatly over the line.

"Something, damn it…" Izumi spoke smugly and righted her body back into a casual stance. Midnight rose her hand up in the air, her handcuff bracelet clinking against her wrist from the movement.

"Shinso is out of bounds! Midoriya is the winner!"

_**~Ask Briry~**_

_**Briry: I wanted a different take on this bout so I hope I didn't disappoint with the results and play. **_

_**Next Chapter: Sadistic Love**_


	24. Sadistic Love

**Midori the Villain**

**Chapter 24: Sadistic Love**

Iida stood behind the seating area looking at his phone with a heavy sigh. He'd been trying to contact his brother for more than an hour now, but it appeared his hero duties were keeping him busy.

"Probably for the best… It would have just been disappointing news to know I've lost in the quarter finals." He pocketed his phone and walked down the steps. He pat Kirishima's shoulder, the hardening hero shuddering and curled up into the thermal blanket Recovery girl had given him. "How you holding up, Kirishima?"

"Damn that Todoroki, I couldn't even get close to him." His face was still a little blue and his nose was running.

"You lasted a lot longer than I expected you to, Kirishima-kun." Ashido pat his shoulder laughing. "I thought he was gonna freeze you instantly just like he did to that Class B girl."

"Gee, thanks Mina." He glared at her and glanced up as Bakugo came down the stairs. He shoved a can of hot cocoa in his hands and Kirishima took it with teary gratitude. "You're the best, man! Thanks!"

"Don't thank me, it's creepy." He slumped into his seat and eyed the center stage. The ice and water from the previous fight was gone and Izumi and Tokoyami faced off ready to begin their own battle.

"Well Bakugo…" Iida remained on the stairs, his hands on his hips. "Any predictions on who's gonna fight Todoroki in the finals?"

"No contest…" Bakugo scowled. "Usagi's got him beat."

**~Center Stage~**

"Ready, BEGIN!"

The start of the match and Tokoyami wasted no time in attacking Izumi. Both of them knew each other's strength and weaknesses. Tokoyami knew that his best chance of winning was to hit Izumi hard and prevent her from thinking. Even if the match dragged on, she'd lose energy far easier than he would. She had no source of light to weaken dark shadow with, and that gave him the advantage.

Dark Shadow lashed out at Izumi, his talons barely missing as she ducked and weaved, not staying in the same spot so as not to get caught up or knocked back by his superior strength.

"No way am I making the same mistakes Yao and Ashido made." She smirked and back flipped over his second talon in an elegant spring. "You can only overpower me if you manage to catch me!"

She brought up a quick shield that gave her enough time to weave past and make a dash for Tokoyami's physical body. She saw Dark shadow quickly whip around it, coming from behind her. She leapt up and back sprung again this time landing atop him so her feet planted on his head.

"Huh.. solid… I'll have to add that to my notes later." She boost power into her feet and sprung off him like a trampoline and straight into the air. "Light is your weakness… since I don't have any of my own." She glanced up briefly at the bold noon sun that was beaming down around her. "I'll just have to borrow it."

Dark Shadow tried to look up at her, but hissed and cowered under the direct light. His momentary lapse of movement gave Izumi the opening she needed to counter attack. From the high vantage point she formed a ball of energy into her palm and aimed it straight at Tokoyami's physical form. She hit him point blank, his form sprawling out on the ground, and she let herself fall so to pin him. With an arm at his throat and a palm to his temple she claimed her victory.

"Checkmate."

**~Class 1A Section~**

"What the hell was that!?" Kaminari mimicked throwing a ball. "That looked like something out of a comic book. I didn't know her quirk could do that."

"Seems Midoriya's quirk is far more complex than we realized." Iida said rubbing his chin. "She's showing us more and more of her power and versatility with each fight."

"It's not as complex as you're all making it seem." Bakugo said grunting with irritation. "All of our quirks can be utilized in various ways, but we have to have the ingenuity to figure them out. Usagi's always thinking, always planning, which means she's got ingenuity in spades. It makes her a huge pain in the ass."

"So says the explosion king. You're the one with all the ingenuity." Kirishima laughed and tensed up when Bakugo glared at him. "Hey dude it was a compliment."

"Humph…" Bakugo turned his head away. If he had all the ingenuity, then why the hell did he end up losing? "I'm going for a walk." He stood up and stuffed his hands in his pockets before making the climb up the stairs.

He wasn't sure what had brought him to the waiting room, but he stood outside the door staring at the handle debating whether or not he should go in. Cursing his cowardice he backed up and raised a foot to kick the door open.

Izumi squeaked, a sound he hadn't heard from her in a long while, and it was stupidly attractive. What was also attractive was seeing Izumi half naked, her shirt pressed to her chest and her eyes full of embarrassment and irritation.

"Kacchan! Geez close the door you idiot!"

"Okay…" he stepped in and closed the door behind him. Her brow twitched with irritation.

"Not what I meant. Get out, I'm changing my uniform." She motioned to the fresh clothes lay out for her.

"I can see that for myself…" He eyed her, his brows knitting together when he saw all the scars, bruises, and other markings on her body. "Those from the matches or your training?"

"Both…" Since it didn't look like he was leaving anytime soon she turned her back to him so to stay modest. She tensed up again when he got closer and her fingers curled into the fresh uniform. "You've got balls of fucking steel coming in here like this. What's it going to take for you to leave me alone?"

"Hell if I know." He to resist the temptation, he leaned his face into her hair inhaling her scent. The move had Izumi's blood running hot and turning into his touch. "You pissed me off…"

"And how did I manage that?" She said between gritted teeth and tilted her head to look back at him.

"By changing." He admitted, the confession catching Izumi off guard. He looked into those witchy green eyes... the eyes that were strange to him, and yet little by little becoming more familiar to him. "You pissed me off because I got used to having you around me. I realized too late what you meant to me, and when it finally dawned on me I wanted you to go back because I didn't like what you were becoming… at first anyway."

"At first?" Now amused, her lips curved in a confident smirk. She saw the irritation spread on her face and it only made the smirk grow wider. "Are you saying you like the new me now?"

"Don't get a big head." He snagged her by the hips pressing his against her backside and making her breath catch. The sound aroused him and he grind up further onto her. "I'm saying I could get used to this new Usagi. Even if she is a crazy slut."

"Oh be still my heart…" she fluttered her eyelashes, and tried not to let him see just how much his touch was affecting her. "You're still going to call me Usagi even though I'm different?"

"Of course… you still look like a rabbit even if you don't act like one." He teasingly tugged one of her curls. "Small, fluffy… and stupidly cute."

"Kacchan…" her eyes softened and the smirk spread into a smile. "I suppose I could live with that image."

"That reminds me." He continued to tug on the curl, letting it play through his fingers as his mouth trailed over her neck. "Since you beat me, I hope you realize this means you're not allowed to lose."

"That a fact?" She spoke breathlessly and with a raised brow. Damn did he even know what he was doing to her? These U.A. boys were driving her insane!

"That's a fact. I would never lose to a loser. So if you let Todoroki beat you..." He turned her around, those soft lovely breasts pressed on his chest and stirring things up he hadn't known existed until this new Usagi came into his life. "...I'll make you regret it, yah damn rabbit." He leaned in to seal the deal and kiss her,,, but she pressed a hand to his lips. Irritation spread over his face at being denied, but the look in those witchy green eyes had him stirred up all over again.

"I have no intention of losing, Kacchan." She lowered her hand to his chest and slowly braced him at arm's length. "So go find a comfy seat, let me change…" She pushed him all the way back to the door. Opening it she shoved him out and ran a tongue over her lips, posing provocatively in the doorway "...and watch me win."

She slammed the door in his face.

**~Stage~**

In his own waiting room, Todoroki sat with his hands clasped together and eyes set. Somehow he knew it would come to this.

He didn't want to fight Midoriya… but he had to. She was the last person standing in the way of his goal… and he knew he was in for a real fight. Everyone had been putting in extreme efforts to win, but he knew Izumi would go beyond that.

He wished he knew more about her past. He wanted to know her driving force, wanted to know how she could be so calm and calculated one moment, and so emotional and tortured the next. They were so alike… separated from their mothers, suffering from oppression and struggling for freedom. There was one key thing that separated them though. Despite her bravado and brave face, he knew Izumi longed for acceptance. She spoke about breaking leashes, and taking charge of her own life and yet she was still searching for approval.

"Why?" He wondered aloud, but got the signal for him to take his place as the finals would start soon. Shake it off, he told himself and took a deep breath to calm his thoughts. Push it out of your mind. What Izumi's driving force was didn't matter in the big scope of things. He had to defeat her either way.

As he made his way down the tunnel he could hear the echoing roars of the crowd's anticipation for the fight.

"Welcome to the final fight of the U.A. Sports festival!" Present Mic hyped up the already excited crowd with his own bubbling energy. "In just a moment we'll get to see which of these youngsters gets to come out on top!"

He spun his seat and then leapt up pressing his face towards the glass. He watched the two combatants walk out and take center stage.

"I've never been more excited for a bout my entire career! These two champions have fought their way tooth and nail to get to the finals, and now the only thing standing in the way of victory is each other. Who do you think will win? Will it be MIDORIYA!?"

The high pitched cheers from the audience riled Izumi up, her body was already buzzing after Bakugo's visit but now every inch of her was anxious to move and fight.

"Or will it be TODOROKI!?"

Izumi looked across from her, her breath catching in her throat at the fierce gaze in her opponent's eyes. She shifted, rubbing her thighs together and hugging her body as the heat and excitement rushed through her. God Todoroki really was attractive… those eyes were killing her. Damn Bakugo for riling her up. There was no way she'd be able to remain composed during this fight. The fact that Todoroki rang all her bells and whistles without even having to say a word just made it worse.

"Mmmmm Shoto…" She whispered his name and licked her lips Todoroki's attention shifted up and his heart stopped. She was looking at him like she wanted to eat him.

"Let the match…"

"I can't wait to break you…" She grinned wide, the look in her eyes changing from aroused to demonic.

"BEGIN!"

Panic had Todoroki going for a big move right off the start. Pressing his hands to the ground he unleashed a wide barrier of ice that ate up half the stage in a matter of seconds, burying Izumi under a huge iceberg.

"WHOA! Todoroki went in for the win right off the bat! Midoriya's been buried under a mountain of ice! Is the match over already?"

"Damn, I overdid it." He admitted to himself letting out a long shaky breath, He didn't know what had put that look in Izumi's eyes, but the sight of it had cold sweat dripping down his back. He stood up, prepared to heat the ice down and rescue her from the icy prison... but it was unnecessary.

The ice mountain cracked and split in half Izumi emerging from the mountain and dusting off frost from her body.

"ALRIGHT! Midoriya's still in the fight! She bust through that mountain like it was nothing!"

"How in the hell…" Todoroki stare wide eyed at Izumi. She was bleeding from the head, the long line of crimson going down her face over her eye but it didn't diminish the confidence she emoted.

"I put up a barrier at the last minute to keep myself from being completely frozen." She explained and wiped the blood away. "Took me a minute to figure out how to break free of the ice without it collapsing on me, figured the best way was to just-" she unleashed a bold of energy, the small quick javelin cutting Todoroki's cheek before he had a chance to dodge. "Make a clean cut."

"Damn you!" He leapt at her, looking to end it quickly by snagging her with his right hand but much like she had with Tokoyami she narrowly avoided being hit and stayed to his left where she knew he was vulnerable.

She couldn't stay still, and had to stay in his blind spot. It was almost too easy sneaking in hits here and there, watching as he drained his energy little by little with fast ice attacks that she cut down with small bursts of energy.

It wasn't enough… Izumi realized with some frustration. She was wearing him down, but her plan of seeing him lose his cool was not as satisfying as she'd longed for. As she thought… there was no way she'd be able to enjoy this, unless she broke him down completely. She wanted it all, she wanted a complete and utter victory, and she couldn't get that without him giving it his all.

She stopped moving and let his right hand grab her… but the quick frost attack gave way to her landing a full satisfying blow to his gut and knocking him off his feet and across the stage.

"You…" Todoroki coughed as he struggled to his feet. "You took it on purpose?"

"I can keep dancing around you if you'd prefer. Frankly I was getting bored." Her left arm was half frozen, but she slowly started to peel it off, blood dripping down and puddling at her feet. The look on his face as she did this was all too delicious. "You're trembling, Todoroki-kun." Izumi gently laughed, her smile spread in a sadistic twist of lips. "Do I frighten you? Or are you reaching your limits already?"

"Hah?" Todoroki staggered to his feet holding his right side a little knowing she was right. That huge attack already had his right side going numb with the cold, and now after all these small attacks he felt himself frosting over.

"Quirks are physical abilities too…" she stepped toward him, stretching out her injured arm. Her energy flowed out around it forming a sinuous shape. "There's a limit to how much cold your body can take." She jerked her arm, the long whip-like shape snapping through the air, smearing blood as it snaked from her and towards it's target. The frost caused him to be too stiff and cold to dodge, and enable her to neatly wrap her around his arms and waist. She squeezed him tight, and his breath wheezed out. "It's a pity you're too chickenhearted to use your fire to alleviate that."

"Chick… you know full well why I do it!" Surprised and then insulted by her words Shoto grit his teeth and he shifted his feet so that another barrage of ice launched her way. She released him in order to dodge and cut it down but due to her current favor of mobility she whipped the energy around again, snagging him on the ankle and dragging him across the ground.

"Oh I know…" she laughed again and flung him up and over to the opposite side of the ring. "I know full well why. Which is why I say you're chickenhearted. You're scared you'll end up like your old man. I can't blame you, he's a ripe piece of work."

"Midoriya you-" He tried to get to his feet but her energy was still attached and he lost his breath as she slapped him across the ring again. He felt her on his back, her knee pressed into his back keeping him pinned while her head leaned down and whispered.

"Want me to tell you a secret, Todoroki-kun?" Her breath was so hot and she playfully nipped at his ear making him tense and fluster. "This power that's currently tossing your sorry carcass around the stage wasn't originally mine. It was given to me."

"What?" Todoroki, caught off guard by her words he lay flat under her. She took the opportune lax of his movements to fully bind his arms and she pressed her body fully up on him so she practically lay on top of him.

"Midoriya has Todoroki pinned! Is she trying to force him into submission?!" Present Mic shouted in shock at the sight.

"Todoroki you lucky bastard." Mineta bit his bottom lip so hard blood was oozing down.

"I believe in fairness, Todoroki-kun." Izumi explained her breath a little heavy and voice clearly aroused by their intimacy. "You told me about your father so I'm letting you in on a little secret. I was born quirkless… and the man who gave this power to me did so in order to control me and turn me into his puppet." She narrowed her eyes on him. "I refused to be his pawn… and instead took what he gave me and made it my own. You're the same, right? How long are you going to let Endeavor leash you down? That power isn't his anymore… it's yours."

Todoroki's eyes widened in realization to her words. Something that had pressed heavily on his chest now released and he took his first long deep breath as the taste of freedom lingered in the air. The fire in his soul ignited and like a torch he went up in flames.

Izumi felt the burn, but smiled and leapt up and away releasing her captive and getting a fair distance back. Her hair whipped around her sweaty face, eyes staring into the blaze as adrenaline made her forget all about pain and fatigue.

"There you are…" She grinned wickedly starting into the flames. A part of her wanted to cower back, reliving her mother's death over and over...but it was that small piece of her that made her back go straight and give into the madness that was taking over her.

"Why are you smiling? Your energy level, in this situation... You're crazy!" Todoroki stood up as the ice from his body melted and the flames rippled across his left arm like a phoenix wing. "Why are you helping your opponent?"

"I could have won this little game the moment you reached your limit," she admitted with a laugh. "...but like i said I believe in fairness, and you were only playing with half your pieces. That kind of victory isn't at all satisfying to me." Izumi held her hands out smirking. "I don't like to win with handicaps… so the only way to get what I want was to make sure you were aware of every move at your disposal."

"You really are something else, Midoriya." He grinned at her. "Fine then, now that all the pieces are in place, don't blame me for what's about to happen." He stomped his foot down ice and fire flaring up and roaring to life.

"That's it…" laughing maniacally Izumi let her own energy build and enforce around her. Her eyes turned black but the wild expression of them stayed. "This power, at this moment, it's perfect! Let's give it our all and see who comes out on top!"

The pros were unprepared for what happened next. The stadium went chaotic with Izumi and Todoroki's power clashing together creating a rippling pressure that prevented anyone from interfering. Todoroki's ice circled Izumi's enforced shield trapping her underneath it and then he pushed out fire, the cooled air rapidly heating and causing a massive explosion that tore at her defenses forcing her to release more and more of her energy to push against it.

Withstand it! Izumi shouted at herself. She braced on her hands and knees and stayed low to avoid the backlash. PUSH BACK!

She felt her energy drain from her, as if she'd cut open a vein and blood flowed out leaving her cold and shivering. When explosion finally died down her shield went with it. Smoke funnelling through and clouding the center stage.

There… she'd done it… she'd faced Todoroki at his top strength and withstood against it. Grinning to herself she tried to get to her feet, but her legs wobbled like gelatin. Crap… her energy was nearly completely gone… she could feel it in the way her vision blurred and crossed.

"What the hell is with your students!?" Present Mic accused Aizawa trying to pull himself back up in his seat. "I can't see a damn thing… who the hell won?" He pressed his face to the glass and let out a shriek. "No one! They're both standing! The match isn't over!"

"Whoa… unbelievable! She's still in it!" Uraraka jumped. "Midori-chan!"

"Holy cow those two are nuts. How are they gonna face each other now? Neither of them look like they can stand, let alone fight." Kaminari said with staggered phrasing, his face twisted up from watching it all unfold.

He had a point though. Todoroki was realizing it as well. He was completely spent, and he could tell Izumi was the same. Neither of them looked up to the task of finishing the fight now that they'd given it their all.

"Midoriya…"

"Well played, Todoroki-kun." She panted and smirked at him, doing her best to stand tall. "...but the game's not over."

"Yes it is…" He admitted and walked to her. He watched her lift up her hands, shaking but raring to fight. "Enough, Midoriya. Let's call it."

"You're joking, I'm not-" she started to complain, but felt the words die as he reached out a hand and cupped her cheek.

"You win, Izumi…" He watched her eyes go wide with surprise at his words and the use of her name. His voice was soft barely audible even to her. "You've won my heart."

"Shoto…" Tears filled her eyes and she touched the hand on her cheek. She watched him smile at her, bend his head in to kiss her…

...and she sent him sprawling onto his back.

Before Todoroki even knew what was happening she'd grabbed him by the wrist and front of his shirt and used the last of her miniscule strength to flip him over her shoulder and across the boundary line. She leaned over his dazed and confused face grinning down like an idiot.

"Your heart is a wonderful gift, Shoto…" she pat his cheek sympathetically. "... but it's not the prize I'm after."

"Todoroki is out of bounds! Izumi Midoriya is the winner!"

_**~Ask Briry~**_

_**Briry: I jammed a lot into that chapter but GOD IM FEELING GOOD! I hope you all are too! **_

_**Next Chapter: The Right Kind of Attention**_


	25. The Right Kind of Attention

**Midori the Villain **

**Chapter 25: The Right kind of Attention**

The gold circle beamed at her and Izumi clutched the medal proudly between her bandaged fingers. She'd done what she set out to do. She conquered her competition and rose to the top of her class. Reporters and photographers bugged her constantly after the ceremony wanting one on one interviews which she politely declined and claimed she needed to return to class. Really all she wanted was five blissful moments of silence to absorb the victory.

"Izumi-Chan!"

So much for solitude, she thought turning away from the window and smiling at Mirio. Before she could say a word to him she was embraced tightly in a hug.

"Congratulations! I'm so happy for you!"

"Thanks, Senpai…" she wheezed and winced at her injured left arm. "Mind the wound, please."

"Oh right, sorry." He laughed and held out a hand in apology. "Everyone in the third year stadium could hear the ruckus from yours. You guys really put on quite a show I can't wait to watch my recording of it."

"Same here, how did you fair Senpai?"

"Ah unfortunately my team got eliminated in the second round." He waved it off. "I got a little carried away and my team couldn't keep up."

"The price of workIng with amateurs." She murmured but grinned at him. "That's a pity as I'm sure no one would have been able to stand a chance against you in one on ones. You're already interning aren't you?"

"Yep but it would have been nice to win since its my final year here." He did with some reminiscence.

"Just be sure not to lose out in the field." She bumped her good fist against his shoulder. "You won't have any competition in that area."

"I dunno," He rubbed the back of his head laughing. "At the rate you're going you may outclass me by the time you graduate."

Maybe, Izumi thought with a wry smile, if I wasn't so damaged.

"You should be more confident in your abilities. You and I both know All Might's secret." She lay a hand over his chest. "Without him, the foundation will fall and the world will change with our generation."

"If that's the case." He took her hand cupping it between his. "Let's make a world we can be proud of." He gently rubbed over the bandage his smile never failing. "If we work together, there's nothing we can't accomplish."

"You're forever the optimist aren't you, Senpai?" She turned her hands out to squeeze his but then stepped away from him. "I should go, I have a train to catch and press to avoid." She turned her back, and Mirio only hesitated a moment before calling out to her again.

"Izumi-chan."

"Hmmm?" She glanced over her shoulder at him. "Yes, Senpai?"

"I know we still don't know each other very well… but I hope with time you'll tell me what's hurting." He lay a hand over his chest. "I'm not just your Senpai, I'm your friend, and you can confide in me."

"I appreciate and return the sentiment, Senpai." Unable to contain the snug smile that wanted to spread she looked away from him and out the window at the setting sun. Without even trying to she'd gained the trust and friendship of All Might's protege. Damn she was good. "I'm more than willing to listen."

**~Meanwhile~ **

"Well I've had enough…" Dabi rose from his seat. "Since the princess is taking her sweet time, I'm taking my leave. I can only stand the stench of creeps for so long."

"Please have a little more patience," Kurogiri insisted. "All will come to fruition once she arrives."

"Let him go…" Shigaraki waved his hand from his lounging spot on the couch. "If the zombie doesn't want to wait for Karma then I say let's get rid of his whining and complaining."

"You're the one who invited us all here, so why don't you fill in the blanks." Dabi grunted at him.

"That's not my job… my part is to make friends, or in my case acquaintances. I don't like people, particularly brats and people with no manners, so I only invited you because she asked it of me."

"Some King…" Dabi scoffed. "You sound more like the Queen's yapping dog that sits on her laps and barks."

"Why you…" Shigaraki sat upright, both young men bracing to fight. Toga who had been licking the blade of her knife clean paused and jerked it into attack position, ready to strike at a moments notice.

"Enough of this…" Kurogiri stepped between them both and then looked to Dabi. "I assure you, Karma will be here any moment. Unlike the rest of us she deals with modern society, which is why she's running late. So please have a little patience."

"Tch… you get one more hour out of me." Dabi slumped back into his chair and shoved Toga another inch away from him when she leaned in to eye his scars. "Then I'm out of here."

"Humph…" Shigaraki scratched irritably at his neck and sat back down on the couch. His nails paused the scraping when Kurogiri's phone rang.

"Karma?" He answered with some relief. "Have you finished for the day."

"I have…" Izumi explained, holding the phone to her ear as she changed in Doctor Nakahara's office. "The good doctor was kind enough to pick up my package so I'm getting dressed as we speak. I can't meet our new friends looking like a frumpy high school student."

"Of course… Shall I open the portal for you then?"

"If you would…" Izumi finished buttoning up the blouse and slicked back her hair before putting a mask over her face. The elegant porcelain was shaped into a face that was split into two persona's. The white side was smiling and pristine, while the black was twisted in a horrified expression. All the delicate details were done in blood red and captured every aspect of her persona perfectly.

Kurogiri's warp appeared in front of her and she made one last check in the mirror. Like her hero costume she went with a simple look to depict her villainous side. Taking some inspiration from Kurogiri she wore a professional white blouse, but instead of a tie she wore a choker around her neck with the word "Queen" etched in the leather. She unbuttoned the top buttons so the folds of the collar opened over her breasts and a hint of black lace peeked through. Her skirt was knee length, and paired with leggings that had lace on the cuffs, and ankle boots that gave her an extra inch of height. Last but not least she added a strap with the knives Shigaraki had given her on her thigh just under the skirt.

"Time to greet our guests…" She smiled from under the mask and stepped into the thick abyss of Kurogiri's warp.

All eyes were on her when she stepped out of the black, and she could have eaten up the attention with ravenous hunger.

"My new friends…" She extended her hands out in greetings. "I'm so sorry to keep you waiting. My name is Karma, and it's a pleasure to meet you all."

"Whaa she's tiny!" Toga held her cheeks blushing with adoration. "She looks even younger than me! How cute!"

"Is this a joke?" Dabi pointed to the girl. "This kid is your Queen and financial backer?"

"I don't really care about age so long as the client pays… but even I find this a little difficult to swallow." Giran added his two cents.

"Age is but a number sir, as I aim to prove I'm more than qualified." Izumi stepped across the floors and strung her fingers through Shigaraki's hair from behind the couch. "I've asked Tomura to make friends because we're in need of strong allies. Allies who have a more clear view of the world, allies who will benefit our cause, allies who are stronger and are more knowledgeable of their own capabilities."

"Why exactly?" Dabi scowled. "I'm not interested in joining a gang that's just looking to do as they like."

"I'm glad to hear it…" She eyed Dabi specifically. "Our goal is to break apart hero society and recreat it to improve the world. In order to do that we need to make statements… bold ones that will have the world talking."

"Did those statements require All Might's death?" Giran teased and nibbled on the end of his cigarette.

"The USJ attack was a plan that was hatched before I became the driving force of our organization."

"I thought High and mighty on the couch there was King." Dabi smirked and Tomura stood and scowled at him.

"Mind your tongue, ugly, or I'll remove it."

"Now, now, my King…" Izumi soothed slipping under his arm and rubbing his chest. "He's right to his curiosity." She kissed his cheek and then turned her attention back to Dabi. "Tomura is King… and as King is to be tended to, protected, and obeyed. As his queen he listens to my council, and respects my ideals. My brain is his weapon, and I keep it sharp and honed for his use."

Before he could stop it Dabi's lips curled into a satisfied smirk. The girl had Tomura wrapped around her finger without him even realizing it. She fought against his bad urges by soothing his ego, making him feel in charge without him having to make any kind of decisions that in turn could affect her own goal. She was good, damn good.

"Alright tiny queen… you've my attention." He relaxed and lounged back in his seat. "What's the plan?"

"The plan is to make the world view our ideals. We just met, but I can tell you're both souls who've seen the filth this world builds up. It stays hidden under the shine of hero's society. Everyone believes heroes can solve any and all problems. Society believes that if it doesn't directly involve them then they needn't take any further steps to help others. Humans have become a dependent and selfish race by letting fake heroes rise in power. They gain the adoration and trust of the common people without even lifting a finger to help those who truly need it."

"What you're spitting is the Hero Killer's ideology." Dabi clicked his tongue. "Are you merely copying his ideals for your own benefit?"

"No… I do want to make Stain an ally because he shares our views, but there are subtle differences." She turned away and looked out at the city. "Stain has gained the attention of the populace by murdering those he views as "fakes" and allowing a select few victims to live in order to pass on his ideals. From what I've read he shows little to no mercy, his survivors are rendered helpless and are stripped of their hero identity. I want to know what his method of selection is…I'm a creature of fairness and justice. I punish those that deserve it, and reward those that have earned it. I don't believe in killing heroes, but I do believe they need to be punished for abusing the power society has granted them. I need to know how he decides which heroes to kill, which to let live, and which to avoid entirely."

"I say let them all burn…" Dabi muttered catching Izumi's attention. "If you're going to partner with Stain then I've no objections about joining… but I'm warning you now I'm not a team player. I looked after myself, I always have."

"Thanks for the warning…" She turned back and walked over. "I've no problem with giving you some freedom… providing you speak clearly when you disagree with my standings. I want no surprise betrayals or mutiny's."

"Fair enough."

"Good…" She turned her attention to Toga who was bouncing in her seat. "What's your story?"

"I'm Himiko Toga!" She grinned wide. "This world is too hard to live in, and I just want to make it easier. I want to meet mr. Stainy, I want to kill Mr. Stainy…"

"I'll stop you right there." Izumi grabbed her cheeks squeezing them tightly til Toga's fangs protruded. Toga thrust out her knife which Izumi quickly dodged, grabbed her by the wrist and pinned her down to the floor. "Like I told Dabi I don't mind giving you some freedom, but you'll be mindful of just who you stab and kill."

"Nice reflexes…" Giran gave a slow steady clap.

"Are you gonna kill me, Queeny?" Toga grinned back at her.

"No… I only kill those that deserve it." She plucked Toga's twin buns free, and for the first time since the group had known her Toga's smile fell and went shocked. Izumi leaned over her lifting up the soft strands of her hair and whispered huskily."Do you deserve death, Toga-chan?"

"Maybe…" Toga whimpered a little and slowly sat up on her knees when izumi released her. Those long blonde locks were tossed all disheveled around her face. "A lot of people think I do."

"Well I'm not one of them, Toga-chan." She turned her face so Toga's wide eyed stare looked through the mask and into Izumi's eyes. "I think you need friends… friends who understand you and your different outlook in life." She clasped Toga's hand in hers. "Will you be my friend, Toga?"

"Whaa…" Toga's eyes went wet and wide and her smile spread. "You mean it!?"

"Yes…" to prove it Izumi picked up the knife Toga dropped and slid it across her hand so blood dripped over. She held it out to Toga like a gift.

"WOW YAY! I LOVE YOU QUEENY!" She eagerly took Izumi's hand and suckled the wound happily. "Chuuu… chuuu… chuuu…"

There, Izumi thought with a hidden smile, a little kindness goes a long way even with the crazy ones.

Dabi watched with surprise as his first impression of Karma did a complete 180. When she'd first walked in he'd seen a little girl playing dress up and pretend. Now that he'd watched the scene unfold he saw the woman hiding under the youth, and found it both intruiging and stangely attractive.

The fact that he did find the small queen attractive had him questioning his sanity. Pushing away the thought he casually placed a hand on top of Izumi's head and ruffled the curls.

"Alright, I'm sold." He said with a slow drawl voice. "At the very least this should be an interesting partnership. I can't wait to see how a kid like you plans to take down Hero's society."

"I'm far more grown up than you realize… I could very well surprise you." Izumi nudged his hand off with her free one.

"Well I know I'm impressed." Giran adjusted his tie. "Looks like I've some phone calls to make to some connections of mine."

"Please do… and if you have any other favorable allies in mind please send them my direction." Izumi told him, letting Toga curl up and nibble on her hand like a teething puppy.

"Will do…" He lifted a glass in salute. "Cheers, your highness."

_**~Later~ **_

"Well that was productive…" Izumi slipped off her mask and and set it on the kitchen counter. Giran, Toga and Dabi were escorted out for the night leaving her and Shigaraki alone together.

"That was annoying…" Tomura disagreed scratching at his neck. "Even if they are allies, I hate thinking of dealing with that ugly ass zombie for long stretches of time."

"Oh I dunno…" She strung her fingers through her hair smirking at him. "I think he's kinda attractive even with the burns. Kinda gives him a dangerous look… just like you."

"Hah?" Tomura grunted and stood up. "Don't compare me to him… and while we're on the subject you're way too flirtacious with other guys. Those teenage boys were all over you and you ate it up."

"I like the attention, but it doesn't mean anything Tomura. THEY don't mean a thing to me." She tried to soothe by he snagged her throat squeezing while holding his middle finger out.

"That's probably the first time you've ever bold face lied to me." He yanked her in closer glaring. "You don't think I saw how you were looking at that Todoroki boy?"

"Tomura…" Izumi wheezed out a moan, her face going red as he slowly cut off her air supply. "My body is… KYA!" She gasped for air when he released her, only to smack her harshly across the face. She fell to the ground on her hands and knees.

"Don't give me that pithy lecture about the differences in sexual attraction and affection." He grabbed her by the hair yanking her into an arch so her ass pressed on his loins. "I don't care how your body reacts to other boys, it still belongs to me. Everything you are belongs to me, everything! Your mind is my tool, your body my toy, and your heart…" he leaned over her biting down on her neck and grasping her breast in a tight squeeze. "My treasure."

The first two aggravated and annoyed her… but the third claim had that heart skipping wild and she bowed against his touch letting him do as he pleased with his toy. She was a woman who believed in fairness… those that did wrong deserved to be punished. She'd allowed her heart and body to be swayed by Kacchan and Todoroki, had felt such incredible lust and affection for these boys and in turn her loyalty and fidelity with shigaraki was tested.

Shigaraki's cruel love was her punishment. She let him bruise her, bite her, and mark up her already injured body until the pain and pleasure all mixed in one and left her drained and broken on the floor of her living room. When Tomura finally left she picked herself up and collapsed into a hot shower washing off the aches, and sweats of the day.

She closed her eyes, recalling Shigaraki's possessive touch… and found herself aching for Kacchan and Todoroki. She had visions of being trapped between them, hard strong chests pressed against her soft flesh, their unique tastes on her tongue while their hands roamed and stroked over her skin.

"AHHHH!" She banged her head against the bathroom wall, cursing herself. Why? After everything Tomura had done to her, pleasured and punished her til they were both stripped raw, why did she still ache for those two boys?

Was it because Shigaraki had been her first? She'd never known another man's touch… maybe the reason she kept wondering is because she wanted to see the difference. She wanted the experience of several lovers, and verify that Shigaraki was the only one who could truly give her satisfaction.

She shook her head and turned off the water. Stepping out of the tub she wrapped herself in a robe and rubbed a towel through her short hair. No, she couldn't do that to Tomura. She loved him, and no matter what her hormonal teenage body wanted she would remain loyal to him. No one, and she meant no one could ever take his place.

"I knew it…"

The voice surprised her and turned her blood cold. Izumi's head lifted up and she spotted Dabi laying on the couch, his booted feet kicked over the side of the couch.

"Dabi...How the hell did you get back in here?"

"You took a long time getting here, so while I waited I grabbed intel. The area, the floor number, etc. It took me about an hour to find this place again and then I bribed the security guard to let me pass. You're not the only one with a little extra pocket cash. I snagged some finances for myself before splitting home." He kicked his feet around and stood up shoving his hands in his pockets. "You know the minute you walked into this room I could tell you looked familiar. Chapped Lips had been staring at the TV for hours watching you, and it grabbed my attention. Izumi Midoriya, Class 1A hero course."

Damn it, Izumi thought and knew her face was going pale. She'd had no time to prepare for this, no time to come up with a witty comeback. He rmind had been focused on such trivial bull shit she'd completely fallen into this. Now he knew her true identity, a secret known only to Shigaraki and Kurogiri… and she was scared shitless.

"What do you want, Dabi?" She managed to get the sentence out without having her voice tremble.

"You…" He admitted strolling up to her.

"Excuse me?" She stepped back clutching the robe.

"I had to listen to your King babble on and on about his supposed power… but the moment you walked in the room I knew who truly holds the reigns of this organization. You have both Shigaraki and Kurogiri wrapped around your little finger, and now you've even got Giran and crazy bitch wrapped tight. I'm not gonna let you do the same to me."

He tripped her up and pinned her down, his duster jacket whipping up and flowing out like a vampire cape. Izumi found herself back on the floor, her robe parted and her fear lodged into her throat.

"What are you doing?" She choked out, and tried to focus her quirk but the fear had control snapping and furniture shifting around them. "Let me go!"

"Easy, Tiny, I'm not like your dick head King…" He eyed the bruising with disgust. He really couldn't stand Shigaraki. "I won't do anything to you that you don't want." He gently stroked his thumbs over her nipples that peeked out from the opening of her robe. He grinned when she trembled. "You gave me a codename… Queen's Knight… and a knight must serve his queen if he's to be rewarded, am I right?"

"I only reward those that earn it…" Izumi muttered with some frustration, and a teary expression. "You've yet to earn it."

"Then by all means…" He parted the robe more and spread her legs. "Let me earn it." He bowed his head between her parted thighs… when his mouth covered her Izumi felt heat and shock ricochet up her body. A shocked cry ripped from her throat and her fingers tear into the carpet she lay on.

"What are you…. AHHH!" She couldn't think clearly, couldn't speak coherently, and could barely even breathe. What the hell was this man, this stranger doing to her body… and Why!? "Why are you doing this?!"

"I told you…" he said after coming up for air and dragged his tongue over her thigh, his blue eyes piercing through the dim light. "I won't let you wrap me tight around your finger. Instead, I'm gonna do everything I can to make sure you're wrapped around mine."

"Dabi…" her voice came out in a panting breath as he climbed atop her and strung fingers through her hair. The confidence and"no fucks given" attitude were all elements she'd found attractive in Bakugo... but the eyes... in those eyes she saw Todoroki, and both elements undid her.

"Karma…" He whispered her name over her lips. "Let me show you what a real man can do for his queen."

A single tear fell down Izumi's cheek as Dabi slid inside her… and completely turned her world upside down.

_**~Ask Briry~**_

_**Briry: I should change the description to a harem fic. I couldn't resist with Dabi, he's one of my fave characters and my ultimate Husbando. Hope you're looking forward to more. **_

_**Next Chapter: The Stain Project**_


	26. The Stain Project

**Midori the Villain**

**Chapter 26: The Stain Project**

The rain suited her mood. Somehow within the span of 48 hours she'd lost control of her self confidence and demeanor. How in the world had she let this happen? She told herself over and over that no matter what happened no matter how she felt about other guys she would always remain faithful and loyal to Tomura.

Now she'd did the unthinkable and had cheated on him with one of their new allies… and she had the gall to enjoy it.

The ally in question lay sleeping now, his arm curled around her waist, and face half buried into the pillows. She wished she didn't find it so endearing, wished she had hated the whole experience. It would have been so much easier to punish him if he hadn't been so damn good.

"We're both going to hell." She murmured and watched the early morning rain pour down the window glass.

"Totally worth it." Dabi murmured back in an amused voice.

"If you're awake then get up and gone, you idiot." She nudged him off and sat on the edge of the bed.

"Most women frown upon that sort of thing." He sat up on his elbows watching her.

"I'm not most women…" She stated and stood up snagging her robe from the floor where it had gone flying. "You do realize I'm not going to be able to hide it from him."

"What's your point? I think the King could use a little humble pie." He smirked and crossed his arms behind his head.

"Idiot," she grit her teeth and tied the robe with a temperamental knot. "He's going to react one of three ways and none of them are humble. He's either going to kill me, kill you, or kill us both. My guess is the latter."

"So then work your magic on him." He shrugged.

"What magic? I'm not a wizard Dabi, I can't just pull out miracles from a hat." She waved her arms in an erratic gesture. When he laughed at her she snarled and used her quirk to lift up the sheets under him and toss him to the floor. "This isn't funny!"

"Shit that hurt," he chuckled and lay flat in the floor a minute so that the dizziness would fade. "I'm not laughing at the situation. I'm laughing that you're really showing off your humanity right now getting all freaked out."

"Yeah well I'm human, unlike you Mr. No fucks given." She snarled. She heard him stir and sit up so that his head poked out from behind the bed.

"Do you wanna know the real reason I decided to have sex with you?" He lay his elbows on the bed his smile smug and alluring eyes piercing at her through the dim light.

"To assert your dominance and attempt to, as you put it, wrap me around your finger." She glared and crossed her arms. Shed be damned if she let that happen.

"That too...but I decided to have sex with you because I like your mind." He stood up stretching his arms up and over his head. At her speculative look he found himself grinning. "It's interesting that I can visibly see the little wheels inside your head turning."

"That tends to happen when people try to confuse me." She tapped an irritated finger along her forearm waiting for him to finish explaining. She took a cautious step away when he rounded the bed to her. When he smirked at her retreat, her lips formed a full pout of disapproval.

"Maybe I just like you in general. For me to find someone I genuinely enjoy being around is a rarity, and it's your mind that sold me." He reached out touching her temple. She lifted a hand to smack his away, but he snagged it and kissed her knuckles. "My mother," he started again, eyes going serious. "She was a bright woman too: Kind, loving, and hopeful. If she hadn't married my bastard of a father she could have done a lot of good for the world. She stayed loyal to him, even after he abused her, beat her, neglected her she stayed loyal… and it drove her mad."

The story made Izumi's eyes widen and then narrow on his face. She turned her hand over so it cupped his cheek and then lifted the other to pull his face closer.

"You're a-" he cut her off with a deep kiss that had her shuddering and moaning. Her arms circled his neck and she pressed into him letting his arms circle her waist and dig into her robe.

"Just look at those gears at work." He whispered with amusement and nipped her bottom lip. "You keep that information to yourself. I didn't tell you so that you could share my backstory with the group. I told you because I trust you, and I need you. If we really want to uphold Stain's ideology and change the world then we need your mind in tact. Little by little your so called king is tearing it apart with his toxic love."

"You underestimate my mind." She smirked at him. She gently ran her fingers over the scarred tissue of his jaw. It looked so painful, and wondered just what Endeavor did to his elder son to make him like this. "The sentiment is appreciated but misplaced, Dabi. I'm not a victim, and I'm not weak."

"I never said you were. You're smart, Karma, probably one of the smartest people I've ever met, but you're naive when it comes to love and romance. You've got the notion in your head that you can change Shigaraki for the better, but what you're really doing is indulging his tantrums, and letting him hurt you to make up for the guilt you feel when you manipulate his choices."

"You gained an awful lot of information from having just met us." She frowned over that.

"It's one of my few talents." He ran fingers over her temple again. "Don't let him break you. I joined your league because I believe in what you're trying to do, but I refuse to watch as you let Shigaraki do as he pleases with you. You're not his possession, you're not his toy, and you don't deserve to be punished for your actions. So get that notion out of your head and let me treat you the way a queen is meant to be treated; with respect, care, and loyalty."

"You really think what you did last night qualifies as any of that?" She looked into his eyes. "You're just as naive as I am."

"I'll admit I was a bit forceful, initially because I wanted you to hear me out. You could have easily told me to go to hell, but you didn't." He pointed out.

"You're right, I didn't, and I'm not sure what that says about me. All I knew was that somehow a combination of everything I found attractive about the opposite sex was right in front of me, doing these things to my body, and I couldn't say no to it." She sighed heavily and pushed him back a full step to run fingers through her hair. "You've got Shoto's eyes, Kacchan's confidence, and Tomura's dark and mysterious persona… it's the best damn aphrodisiac that could be unleashed on me. On top of all that you've got the experience with sex that none of them have."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it… though you've got some moves of your own that I found quite impressive for a girl your age." He sat on the bed, hardening again at her praise. She immediately took notice of it and did her best to avoid looking at it and him.

"I love Tomura…" she grit her teeth when he snorted at her. "Don't laugh, I'm serious. You know nothing about our relationship. Yeah I'm aware it's unhealthy, and the way he treats me isn't what I deserve but you don't understand what we've been through… what HE'S been through. I realize I'm preaching to the choir about traumatic pasts as all of us in the league have baggage but Tomura's never had true affection before, and I want to show him that there is someone who cares for him, someone who loves him despite who he is and what he's become. I want to save him."

"You can't save someone who doesn't want to be save." He took her hand and pulled her to him so she sat on his lap. "Sooner or later he's going to try and kill you. When that happens I'll kill him myself before I let him hurt you."

"Don't make empty threats, because they're dangerous." She captured his face in her hands. "If you really want to keep me safe Dabi, I need you to help me heal him. He needs friends."

"We'll never get along, especially when he finds out the truth about us." He pressed his forehead to hers.

"Try, Dabi…" she sighed heavily, and he saw those gears at work again. "If your try, then I'll accept this and you."

"You gonna pull a miracle out of a hat?" He laughed low in his throat nuzzling her neck and rubbing her breasts over the robe.

"I may have a few tucked away…" she panted softly as he stirred her up. "I'll need you to trust me with your life, though. Can you do that?"

"Eh life was getting dull anyway… but if I'm gonna die, I want my last meal." He rolled them over and Izumi's robe went flying across the room once again.

**~Later in the Nomu warehouse~**

She put on the little red dress… it was a favorite of Tomura's. When groveling for your life you had to pull out all the stops, but she hoped to appeal to his better nature. She didn't expect to come out of this unscathed, but she fully expected to live.

Dabi was a gamble.

"You know I said I'd trust you to handle this but…" He lay face down on the floor, pinned under a faceless Nomu with pure brute strength. "You're really pushing my faith, Karma."

"Just shut up and don't move, Dabi." She narrowed her eyes down at him. "Consider the forceful hand as punishment for touching me without permission."

"What should I consider my death?" He grunted. "Penance for my sins?"

"I said shut up…" She grunted and swallowed the fear in her throat when Kurogiri's warp appeared and both he and Tomura stood before her.

"Well now," Tomura smirked at Dabi's position. "What's this then?"

"A trial… and you're the judge my king." She bowed and floated a chair over for him to sit. "Kurogiri will you leave us to conduct our business?" She folded her hands to keep them from fidgeting. "This is a sensitive matter."

"As you wish." He nodded and vanished into his own warp.

"Well now…" Tomura sat and threw an arm over the back of the chair. "What's the charge?"

"Adultery, My King." She walked to him and knelt right in front of him. "I plea guilty."

"Is that a…" he trailed off as her words registered and he glared at her. "What did you say."

"I plea guilty, my King. The man you see pinned in front of you seduced me, and I indulged in it willingly." She bowed Dogeza style. "I beg your forgiveness, and ask you to hear me out."

For a moment there was nothing but silence… Tomura glared down at Izumi with raging boiling in his eyes. Irritation had him scratching at his neck and he looked between her and Dabi his teeth set in a sneer.

"You little SLUT!" The chair up ended and he kicked her across the face, Izumi crying out and rolling on her side clutching her cheek. "Kill him! If you value your life then tell Nomu to crush his skull!"

"Mnng if that's what you truly want then I will… I'll do as my King commands but please… please Tomura I beg you to hear me out." She lifted up teary eyes. "Please."

"Why the hell should I listen to you? After everything I put up with… your shameless flirting, your insistence on keeping All Might alive, your filthy desire to continue your training as a hero, and now THIS!?"

"I know, I know Tomura I'm ashamed." She stayed on her hands and knees, shaking as the tears fell. "I betrayed you, I promised to be yours, and I broke that promise. I told you those boys at U.A meant nothing to me and you called me a liar. You were right… I wanted them, I wanted their attention, their kisses, their touch… because I'm inexperienced. I love you, irrevocably, and yet I lust after other boys and I couldn't figure out why. Thanks to Dabi I now know the reason."

She crawled cautiously to him. She stopped when he looked ready to snap and hit her again. She swallowed hard, knowing her and Dabi's life rested on her ability to appeal to Tomura, and gain his trust again.

"I want them… because I want to learn. It's what I do. I learn from my experiences and I use them to further myself and our cause. I want to learn how to please my King to the absolute fullest but neither of us have ever had sex with anyone but each other. You give me pleasure when you touch me, so much so that I want to do the same. Dabi he showed me things, taught me things that I could have never found out on my own. I want to use him, I want him to continue to teach me so that I can become a proper lover to you."

"You don't need him to pleasure me." Tomura hissed at her. "We were fine. He's nothing but a usurper looking to take you from me."

"Well he won't!" She looked to Nomu and Dabi let out a small cry when Nomu's pressure increased. "We hold all the power, Tomura. Like I said if you really want me to kill him then I will… but I will continue to wonder, continue to fantasize unless I have an outlet for my need to learn. Dabi is the perfect outlet because he's not looking to take my heart from you like the U.A. boys are. He just wants my body. You said so yourself that my heart is your treasure, my mind your tool and my body your toy. Treasures are meant to be kept, tools are meant to be used… and toys are meant to be shared with your friends. Befriend Dabi, My King… he's rude, unruly, and arrogant but his gifts far outweigh that."

"Tch…" Tomura walked away from her, scratching at his neck as the irritation built and built inside him. He eyed Dabi, then his queen on her hands and knees. Why the fuck should he befriend this snake? Why should he share his woman with a man he despised. Karma was out of her cotton picking mind! He should just kill them both. He was King… he could gather allies fine on his own, allies to help him kill All Might like he originally planned.

…

"You said he taught you things." His hands lowered to the side as his anger subsided and curiosity grew. "Exactly what sort of things did he teach you?"

Izumi's breath came out in a slow shudder of relief. The door was open, now it was time to walk on through. She crawled to him again and grabbed hold of his belt, her eyes lifting to his face.

"Shall I show you, My King?"

"Show me… if it fails to please me, then you'll kill that usurper, and submit to my choice of punishment." He lifted her chin all the way up rubbing a thumb over her lips. Her tongue flicked out and she then kissed it, arousal stirring in her eyes. "Deal?"

"As my King commands…" She undid his pants, releasing the erection she'd conjured from her subtle looks and foreplay. She recalled the way Dabi had buried his face between her legs, so natural and playful. Inspired, she gave the tip a small kiss, and opened her mouth wide to take him in. From there instinct and curiosity took over… and saved both their lives.

When the deed was done Izumi got up from the floor wiping her mouth clean.

"Release him, Nomu…" She said a bit breathlessly and Dabi let out a grunt of relief as he slowly picked himself up and held his aching head.

"Be grateful to my Queen, Dabi." Tomura slid a possessive arm around Izumi. "She's taken a liking to you and has pleaded for your life. You're free to have her body, but I warn you… If you fail to live up to her expectations or if you touch what's mine without permission again, I'll have that Nomu hang you from your own intestines."

"Yeah, yeah…" Dabi grunted still nursing his migraine. "Long live the King."

"Humph…" Satisfied with the results Tomura tilted Izumi's face towards his and kissed her firmly on the mouth. "I look forward to seeing the results of your next lesson."

"I'll do my best, My King." She kissed him back. "Thank you for being so forgiving. You're too good to me."

"Remember that the next time you get it in your head to betray me." He squeezed her neck tightly as a reminder then let her go. "Now that that's settled, I believe Kurogiri's made an arrangement for us to finally meet the elusive Hero Killer. Get cleaned up and meet us back at the bar in full costume."

"I'll be there." She text Kurogiri and within seconds the warp opened up and Tomura strut through looking satisfied and smug from the play. When the warp closed Izumi let out a long sigh of relief and fell back to her knees. "Holy shit, that actually worked."

"You weren't sure if it would?" Dabi questioned with irritation. "You sure like playing with people's lives don't you midget queen?"

"Life's a game and a gamble, Dabi. Still if I hadn't managed to convince him both of us would have been dead regardless." She rubbed her cheek and winced at the fresh bruise. "I'm surprised we got away with as little injury as we did."

"Remind me not to trust you with my life ever again." He held out his hand and she stood up. "You still lied to him."

"Huh?" She looked up at him with a raised brow.

"You said I was only after your body… but that's not true." He grabbed her chin rubbing a thumb over her lips. "You know that right."

"Yeah…" she took his hand and pulled it away from her face. "I know... but you're not getting anything else from me. My heart belongs to Tomura."

"For now, Izumi…" he murmured and laced their fingers together. "For now."

**~That Night~**

Back in full villain gear Izumi sat on the bar, legs crossed and eyes focused on the man standing before her and the rest of the league. Despite being in front of the man the two admired, Toga and Dabi were surprisingly calm and quiet.

"I see…" Stain spoke after a long awkward silence. "So you lot are the ones that attacked U.A."

"We were… though we've gone through some changes of power since then and our goals have shifted." Izumi explained. "My King has come to realize that killing All Might solves nothing unless we make plans for the future. Society will lose balance, but continue to worship those that try to pick up the torch he leaves behind. We need to make the populace more aware of the failings hero society covers up, and enlighten them to the truth."

"And you want me to add to your numbers to help you gain popularity, is that right?" Stain said with mock interest. Izumi felt the tension in his words, and chose her next words carefully.

"We don't like using that word… popularity. Makes us sound greedy and hungry for attention. What we need is exposure, and a more concise image. Thanks to our past mistake the world views us as petty criminals looking to make it big… but that's not what we want."

"Just what is it that you want?" Stain's fingers itched to grab his blade. Of all the people in the room, the girl was making his nerves go tense. There was something in the way she talked… "all this we, us," nonsense that made him believe she was the true power behind this organization. The so called King she spoke for was just one of her many puppets on a string, and he needed to be careful not to become entangled in her web.

"We want-"

"Not we…" he sneered and clutched a hand over the blade. He saw everyone but Izumi brace for his attack. "I asked what do YOU want."

"Me?" She touched her chest.

"Yes you… step forward." He waited for her to jump down from the counter and step in front of her group. "Take off your mask..." when she didn't move he pointed his Katana in her face. "Do it… I want to see the truth in your eyes."

"Very well…" She untied the mask and let it slip off her face. She looked at him, saw the narrowed expression. Her face had been plastered all over the news since her victory in U.A. She would have been surprised if he hadn't known who she was.

"What do you want?" He asked again keeping the blade pointed directly at her.

"I want…" she knew lies and half truths would only get her killed, so she lifted her chin and spoke her mind. "I want power."

"Why?" The blade inched closer to right above her eye. He saw the fear glaze over her eyes briefly but she shadowed it with anger.

"You can't change the world if you're powerless. Heroes have all the power in this world, and I seek to change that."

"Why?"

"Because I've seen both sides of this world. I've seen the pretty shine All Might's smile has cast on the world with his selflessness and bravery… but I've also seen the glory mongers that feed off his light. Due to their carelessness, and selfish behavior they're taking the word "hero" and giving it no true meaning. Because of this people have suffered, and humans turned a blind eye to those in need of help. I've been put down all my life because everyone believed I was powerless. I intend to prove them wrong and become the most powerful person in the world. I intend to break apart this world and rebuild it from my own ideals… but I can't do that without your help, Hero Killer Stain."

Stain lowered his blade a smidge, glanced back at the people behind her and finally lowered his guard completely.

"You've desire, conviction, and those are qualities I find worthy. Villains who wave their power around like flashy toys are as dangerous as fake heroes. Both should be purged from this world… but you are neither."

Relief came over her face quick before she put up the look of confidence again.

"I'm grateful you find my resolve admirable." She held out her hand. "Do we have an agreement?"

He looked at her hand and then again at the others in the room. He carefully eyed them each individually.

"I will not join your league."

"Eh?" Izumi was caught of guard by the decline and Tomura clicked his tongue.

"Why the hell not? We share the same goal don't we? You've far more experience with villain work than the rest of us, senpai."

"I came because I was interested… and I'm letting your leader live because she holds conviction… but I can't say the same for the rest of you. From what I see you're all blindly following her orders with no personal goals of your own. I don't trust nor will I join this band of potential hazards."

"Stain I-" Izumi started to protest but Tomura was already standing.

"Yeah, that's right… my only goal was to kill All Might because I hate him. I don't share my queens sensibilities or need to change the world. I destroy what I don't like, and take what I want. I am King."

"Tomura," Izumi hissed at him and let out a gasp as Stain quickly bypassed her and stabbed Tomura in the shoulder. "No, please!"

"YAY! BLOOD!" Toga clapped and jumped on the table taking her own knife out. "Is Mr. Stainy going to kill Tomura-kun?"

"That hurts!" Tomura hissed between his teeth and narrowed his eyes up at stain. "Karma get this freak off me."

"I… I can't move." Izumi stayed frozen eyeing the cut on he arm. Stain must have grazed her when he whipped by her. He must have done the same to Kurogiri because the man was half bent over the bar bleeding from his arm. "I think it's his quirk."

"You're no King…" Stain glared down at Tomura. "You feed off of others with power like a parasyte, but show no desire to learn and grow from their experience. Your wants and needs for destruction are a toxic fume, for death without conviction is meaningless. A King with no conviction is dangerous, and should be purged."

"TOMURA!" Izumi cried out trying desperately to move as Stain scissored the two katanas ready to remove Tomura's head.

The blade stopped inches before his neck. Dabi stood over both of them his hand held out over Stain's face and brilliant blue flame forming.

"Excuse me, but I can't let you do that." He told Stain. "He's a pain in my ass, and a jerk on top of it… but I've made a promise to befriend him, and I protect my friends."

"CHUU!" Toga jumped on Stain's back her teeth sinking into his neck like a vampire and those eyes go liquid with delight. Stain jerked back, getting to his feet and he tossed the little blood sucker off his back and whipped around trying to cut her. She smoothly dodged and joined Dabi to stand in front of Tomura. "Tomura-kun is Queeny's friend, so he's Toga's friend too. I don't want Mr. Stainy to kill my friends."

"Hmmm…" Stain retracted his blades. Izumi suddenly felt her body able to move and she rushed past him Tomura and pressed a hand to his wound. "I see… it seems I was mistaken about your little group."

"Eh?" Izumi lifted her head to Stain as she helped Tomura to his feet.

"I thought those who followed you were merely puppets on a string, following your orders blindly. I was wrong." He pointed a finger at Dabi and Toga. "They have trust in you… and I imagine it's the same with your king and the shadow man there. Puppets have no free will, but these people choose to follow your lead. My apologies for the misunderstanding."

"Like hell, just shut up and die…" Tomura hissed at him but Izumi hushed him.

"It's okay Tomura… just let me handle it okay. Toga take him to Nakahara to get patched up, okay?"

"Okay! Bye Mr. Stainy!" Toga giggled and waved as she helped Tomura through the portal to get fixed up. With her King safe and out of harm's way Izumi approached Stain again, this time with true anger in her eyes.

"We invited you here as our guest because we thought we could help each other. I don't care to have you threaten my friends and allies. If you don't want to join us that's fine, we'll find another way to gain exposure… but don't you dare make light of our efforts."

"Small but full of potential." Stain placed a hand on her head. "I won't join your league… but I'll help you gain the exposure you need."

"You will?" She nudged his hand off keeping the harsh expression on her face. "No tricks?"

"No. I will contact your associate when I've located my next target. What that time comes you will come personally and show me the extension of your convictions." He looked to Kurogiri. "Return me to Hosu… I've unfinished business there."

Kurogiri looked to Izumi, who nodded. Kurogiri opened the warp and allowed the villain to step through.

"Well that was unnerving…" Dabi sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "I admire the guy, but he really gives me the creeps." He let out a small oof when izumi hugged him suddenly. "What gives?"

"Thank you…" Izumi said with a small sniffle and squeezed him tighter. "I know you don't like Tomura but thank you for saving him."

"Don't get used to it." Dabi sighed and hugged her back laying his cheek atop her head. Kurogiri eyed the embrace with some speculation, but shrugged it off and vanished to check on Tomura. After a moment of silence and quiet comfort Dabi cleared his throat and pulled back. "So now what?"

"Now we do as he says…" Izumi wiped her tears and sat down in front of her chess board. She picked up the black bishop piece and moved it across the table. "With Stain gaining the attention of the heroes it gives us an opportunity to make an attack of our own. With both of us attacking simultaneously they'll connect the dots linking us to Stain."

"Yeah, but Stain said he's not actually joining us." Dabi sat on the other side of her and moved the white bishop to counter. "Without confirmation will people actually believe that the two attacks are connected?"

"They will… all we need is a solid witness." She plucked the white bishop up smirking at it as Iida's face formed on its head. "I even have someone in mind."

_**~Ask Briry~**_

_**Briry: I may be pushing the wrong buttons by using Dabi this way. I'm trying to stay true to his character while also stretching the limits of it a bit to make the story go the way I want it to. I hope you all like it in the end. **_

_**Next Chapter: Endeavor's Endeavor. **_


	27. Endeavor's Endeavor

**Midori the Villain **

**Chapter 27: Endeavor's Endeavour**

The rain persisted. With the weekend behind her and a plan forming in her head Izumi returned to school with some clarity and new focus. She told Dabi she had a witness in mind but she wasn't sure if Iida would be on board. Her original idea was to just be within the same area as Stain so they could both be witnesses to the pair up… but she'd need to convince him to go to Hosu with her in the first place. On top of that there was the whole hiding her true intentions, and she wasn't sure what the Hero Killer had planned or what her part would entail.

If she wasn't careful Iida could figure out that she too was part of the league… and she really didn't feel like killing him just to keep him quiet.

"Good Morning Midoriya-Chan!" Speak of the devil Iida came sprinting up behind her wearing a parka. he bypassed her with a sudden sprint. "Why are you walking so slow? We're going to be late!"

"Good Morning Iida. Whoa! Wait! Why are you in such a rush? There's plenty of time before the bell!" She jogged after him trying to keep her umbrella steady so as not to get wet.

"A hero should always arrive early!" He explained and increased his speed. Izumi did her best to keep up with him and finally caught up at the entrance huffing with flushed cheeks and mussed hair.

"You seem to be in good spirits despite what happened." She shook the water off her umbrella and rolled it up. "Is your brother alright?"

"Yes, I'm sorry to have worried you needlessly." He pulled off his hood offering a smile, but Izumi saw right through that. "It's nothing serious."

"I didn't know you were the type to lie, Iida. I'm surprised at you." She walked up and set a hand on his shoulder.

"It's really not a big deal, Midoriya-chan." His eyes lowered and he grabbed her hand shoving it off him. "I don't require your counsel."

"If that's what you want then fine… but I've been around liars all my life so don't bother trying to hide it from me." She brush past him. "I know what it's like to want revenge. If you let it consume you, it'll take you down a path you'll never come back from."

Iida watched her walk away and then lowered his head. He should have known he wouldn't be able to fool Midoriya. If anyone knew what he was going through, she did. Despite knowing that he didn't like her poking at his problems. He'd spent his entire weekend contemplating his choices, and now knew exactly what he wanted to do with the rage and hurt that bubbled up inside.

"Good morning everyone!" Izumi called out as she walked in. Immediately she got pulled into a conversation with Hagakure and Jiro about the attention they were receiving from the sports festival.

"Midoriya…" Todoroki's voice spoke up and Izumi's head lifted up to look at him. His intense gaze made her think of Dabi and she quickly averted her eyes and sat down at her desk.

"Good Morning, Todoroki-kun."

"Good Morning…" he returned with a small wince at her aversion. "Can we talk for a minute?"

"Can it wait?" she leaned on her palm turning her head from him to keep her gaze focused away. "Class is gonna start soon."

"It can wait until lunch." He decided.

"Great, we'll talk then." She waved him off and let out a slow breath when she heard him walk away. The eyes around them watched with avid curiosity. The tension between the two was apparent, but it wasn't just Midoriya and Todoroki. Bakugo hadn't said a word to Izumi or the class since he got in.

"Lovers quarrels…" Ashido murmured to Tsuyu who croaked in agreement. A few moments later Aizawa walked in and got the class started. After briefly discussing the Sports Festival he told the class today was going to be a hero informatics lesson.

"Code Names…" He explained. "Today you will pick out your hero names."

Codenames… Izumi thought with a little hitch of breath. She'd been dreading this day since school began. Hero names were a key ingredient in the image they portrayed. Choose the wrong one and you were liable to regret it for your entire career. Midnight said as much as she entered the classroom to take over the class. Dry erase boards and markers were passed out and Izumi stare down at the blank canvas with a small scowl.

Izumi wasn't sure what name she should choose. If she was being realistic with herself she had no right to call herself a hero. She may have started out this journey with the goal of becoming a hero… but so many things had changed. She wondered if Tomura was right and she should just ultimately drop out…

... but that was quitter talk.

Her goal was to change hero society. That goal required her to play the game of life to its fullest, and there was no way she could win if she only saw one side of the board. She needed to see all the angles, needed to get a clear perspective of the world and use it to guide her actions. Her strengths were her mind, her tactical prowess, and her ability to blend into both the hero and villain side… no point in limiting herself just because she had a guilty conscience.

"So what to do…" She tapped the marker on the board with a little half smile. She'd chosen her villain name without much thought at all… it had just appeared before her, like destiny. Not that she believed in destiny. She was far too smart and independent to believe there were invisible ties that linked the future. The future was what you made it.

With every curveball life threw at her she made choices that brought her here. She chose to take Tomura up on his offer, she chose to get stronger, she chose to go to U.A. She chose to torture the man responsible for killing her mother. She chose to kill the man who had orchestrated all of it by making puppets of her and Tomura. She chosen to cut the puppet strings and free herself and the man she loved. Thanks to those choices She and Tomura were leading a group of villains who willingly chose to follow them to a better future.

Hard to believe that just over a year ago she'd been a scared little rabbit who worshiped All Might and Bakugo like they were gods. Humph, what foolishness. Heroes were anything but gods. They were mortals… Pretenders with powers who often make mistakes. Heroes could be selfish, stupid, careless, and in Endeavor's case just as guilty of sin as Villains.

Her mother's death had awoken her to the truth… and Izumi cursed the fact that it had taken something so horrific and heartbreaking to snap her into reality. Her mom had often told her the truth was sometimes painful, and she had to admit her mother was right.

Everyone in her league had to face the harsh reality. Tomura couldn't properly touch another person without killing them. Kurogiri didn't much open up to her, but she imagined he'd had family or friends once and had cherished them exactly the way he cherished the league members now. Toga was a strange case, having an affinity for blood and violence the same way a girl ogled clothes and jewelry… an affinity Izumi was starting to see the appeal in.

Then there was Dabi.

He and Shoto had similar stories, but she imagined the end result was quite different. Shoto was the prodigal child, the "chosen" one of his siblings. Their father gave all his attention and devotion to "raising" Shoto and ignored Dabi and the other Todoroki siblings. To him they were all failures and distractions.

Shoto had horrors of his own, but being neglected and shunned hurt worse in her opinion. Imagine being ignored, being forgotten by your own father after doing all you could to please him. Knowing you mean nothing to him. Izumi's heart wept for the boy Dabi had once been… and she was glad he seemed to find resolution and a new future away from such a cruel man.

Maybe that's why Dabi had chosen his name. Dabi was the Japanese word for "cremation" and it suited his fire quirk well… but Izumi could tell there was more to it then that. Dabi burned away the Todoroki image, and revitalized himself. He recreated his own image… something she'd always aspired to do… and she admired him for it.

"Midoriya-chan are you ready?" Midnight hummed at her and snapped her out of her thoughts. With her mind on recreation and rebirth she scribbled down the name that quickly came to mind then walked up front to present it.

Standing at the podium she eyed her classmates and clutched the board to her chest to keep it hidden. She hated the fact she was nervous. She wanted this name to be well received, and wanted people to understand how significant it was to her. If this version of herself wasn't accepted, then this was probably the sign she needed to end her hero days and recreate herself once again.

"When I was little…" she started and had to swallow hard to cut away the squeakiness she heard. "I used to come up with names that resembled All Might because I admired him. He was exactly the kind of hero I'd always wanted to be, but…" She paused and gripped the board tighter. "It was just a fantasy. That became clear to me the older I got… and I changed." She paused again, a little awed by the fact her classmates were hanging on her every word, listening to her story. "Some of you know this already...but about a year ago a villain set fire to my apartment and it killed my mother. Even though I wasn't a hero I did everything I could to save her, but I failed. Because of that a part of me died with her that day. For a time I didn't know if I'd be able to move on. I didn't know if I was still capable of being a hero… " She looked at the name she'd chosen with a kind of solace. "It took time… but I finally pushed away the grief and doubt. I decided to stop moping, stop whining and complaining that the world wasn't fair... and become stronger. I pulled myself from the ashes and started over. This name represents what I've become… and what I strive to be."

She turned the panel over.

The Revived Hero: Black Phoenix

"Midoriya…" Kirishima, moved to tears, stood up and applauded. Uraraka jumped to her feet to join and soon everyone but Bakugo joined them.

"That's so beautiful, Midoriya-chan! Bravo!" Midnight cried and cuddled Izumi to her rubbing their heads together. Squished and uncomfortable Izumi pried herself away and took her seat again.

"Usagi…" Bakugo turned around and looked into her eyes. "I'm sorry."

Izumi stare at him a moment. It didn't take her long to understand why he was apologizing. For years it had been Bakugo who had told her she wasn't capable of being a hero, and that the life she wanted was a fantasy. Now that she proved him wrong he… in his own stubborn way… was owning up to it.

It made her smile.

"Thanks, Kacchan."

~Lunch~

The pamphlets with the listings of the potential agencies to choose from were passed around. Because she and Todoroki were at the top they had the most to choose from. Still even Kacchan had gotten a ton of requests despite losing.

"A lot of these agencies are all small time." Izumi noted with a frown. She leaned on her knuckles and narrowed her gaze at one name in particular. "Is this some kind of joke?"

The Endeavor Agency

Wasn't he the one who told her to stay away from his son? Was this some kind of peace offering? A threat? A mistake? Why the hell would the #2 hero request her of all people?

"Shoto…" She turned in her seat and held out her papers. "I think I got your list by mistake?"

"What makes you think that?" He walked to her. "At any rate, let's go somewhere else to talk. You asked me to wait and I have."

She'd nearly forgotten, but nodded and stood up. She took her papers with her and walked with him outside and into the corridors of the school. She handed him her list and he took it up narrowing his eyes on it.

"I see… so he's taking up my challenge."

"Your challenge?" Izumi raised a brow. "What are you talking about?"

"After our battle my father met me in the tunnel. I expected him to be irritated but he was smiling. He said he was glad I put aside my petty rebellion and finally saw to reason."

"Tch, the fool. You haven't put aside anything have you?" She smirked. "Just because you use your fire doesn't mean you acknowledge him in the slightest. The power is yours to do with as you please."

"I agree… which is why when he asked me to join his agency after graduation I refused." He stopped and grabbed her shoulder turning her to him. "Midoriya… no… Izumi. I don't condone you for seizing victory when you had the chance. You did what you set out to do and I was a fool to try and persuade you to do anything. You're not the type to do something just because someone else asks it of you."

"Damn straight…" She put a hand on her hip and held out the paper. "So what's this then?"

"When I rejected my father he asked if I'd have second opinions on it if he convinced you to join him." He smiled at Izumi's snort. "I told him if he managed to convince someone as stubborn and hardheaded as you to intern with him then he'd have earned respect enough from me to give him a chance."

The snort turned into full blown laughter. She held her sides and small tears leaked out of the corner of her eyes.

"Oh my god what a riot! What a family you have, and you call ME insane!? HAHAHAHA!" She wheezed and bent over a windowsill to try and catch her breath. After a moment she righted herself and turned back to face him. "Is that what you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Yes… that and I wanted to let you know that I made peace with my mother."

"Have you?" Pleasantly surprised her expression calmed and warmed. "I'm glad. You deserve that much happiness."

"I'm at my starting line, and I have you to thank for it Izumi." He took her free hand and stroked the knuckles. "I know you're devoted to your boyfriend, and I don't know what kind of man he is or why you love him… but that doesn't matter to me. You have my heart Izumi. You've had it from the first moment I laid eyes on you, but I didn't know it at the time."

"Todoroki you really should stop with the declarations…" She pulled her hand away and turned her back to him. "They'll only hurt you in the end."

"That may be true, but you can't help who you love." He saw her shoulders tense up. "You told me that. So long as I feel it I will continue to tell you everyday, at every possible chance."

"For what?" She whirled around gritting her teeth. "What good will come of it? All you're doing is confusing me and-" She looked into his eyes and that was a mistake. For one brief moment she saw Dabi and the arousal and emotions kicked in weakening her resolve. "Damn it why won't you just leave me alone? Haven't I sinned enough?"

"Sinned?" he lifted a hand to her cheek and Izumi slapped it aside glaring at him.

"Don't touch me!" She glared at him and narrowed her eyes. "Never again. I already betrayed his trust once over those eyes. I swear to god, Todoroki if you make me break his trust one more time I'll make you regret it!" She whirled away unable to stop the tears from slipping down.

~Izumi's Apartment~

For the first time in Izumi's life she skipped school. She went to Recovery Girl and asked if she could be excused to go home. To amplify her wish she allowed the woman to see all the new scars and burns on her body from Tomura's forgiveness treatment.

"I don't want to worry my teachers or my classmates over my condition. I have a personal doctor at home who is tending to my needs and I'll agree to any make up sessions Mr. Aizawa and All Might have in mind."

"Very well, you've my permission, but be sure your physician writes a permission slip as well."

"Will do, Thank You, Recovery Girl."

"Midoriya…"

"Yes, Ma'am?"

"I don't know what your living condition is… but a hero really should take better care of herself. Whatever is causing you to have such serious wounds should be removed from your life."

Recovery Girl's words made sense in theory but not in her heart. She was in too deep, and her hands too stained with blood to even think of removing Tomura and the League from her life. These scars… Izumi stood and stare at herself naked in the full body mirror… every scar she carried was punishment for the sins she committed. For every evil act she committed she needed to equal it out. Karma was more than just her hero name, it was her way of life. As Karma she was responsible for bringing balance and justice to those that deserve it. Those that did good were rewarded, those that did wrong were punished. Even herself.

Even Tomura.

Karma had already dealt his punishment… he was born with a dangerous quirk that destroyed his life and put him under the chains of another. In order to balance out the horrors of his life she would dedicate herself to bringing him happiness and love.

She would create a better society, and help him socialize. He already begrudgingly made friends with Dabi and Toga, the two that had stood up for him when Stain had attacked him. If he could just learn to accept them and the others she would bring into their group, then the healing would continue.

Friends… Family… and unconditional love.

Those were the three things she needed to give Tomura in order to fully heal him. Once he both received and accepted those gifts, then his heart would finally be at ease and he would be saved.

Until that day came she would take whatever punishments were necessary. She put on regular clothes and strung fingers through her hair putting the mask of "Karma" back on. She was Tomura's Queen… and as Queen she would protect her King at all costs. It didn't matter if she was a hero, or a villain. It didn't matter what face she wore, or what name people called her. She would become whatever she needed to be in order to win and achieve her goals.

"That is how you show devotion to the one you love… Todoroki-kun." She let the grin spread wickedly. "No one else in the world matters, only them. If you continue to show me this half assed love then I will use and abuse these lies to my full advantage. I will bend you to my will, make you so crazy for me that everything you are will become meaningless to you. If I wanted I could make you kill your own mother just to prove your loyalty to me." She slapped her hands on the glass laughing. She stared into those crazed eyes… the eyes of a woman lost in the turbulence of love. "You handsome fool… I'll show you what true love really is."

Her teeth grit when her doorbell rang. Smoothing her hair out once more she did her best to compose her emotions.

"Tch, who the hell is that? Dabi better not have bribed his way back up here again or I'll-" She ripped the door open and her eyes snapped wide. At the entrance stood the tall intimidating Hellfire hero. Instead of his costume he wore a tight black tux but kept his beard flaming for intimidation.

"Good Evening, Izumi Midoriya."

"Endeavor…" Straightening herself out and slipping back into her confident mode she leaned against the doorway. "To what do I owe this unexpected visit?"

"I apologize for suddenly dropping in, but I felt it was the only way you'd allow me to meet with you." He eyed the apartment speculatively. "May I come in?"

"If I said no would you really leave?" She waited for a response then sighed when she got none. She opened the door fully and turned her back to him. "Come on in."

"Pardon the intrusion…" He stepped inside. He noticed the structure was western style, with no place to set his shoes or coat. With a scowl of disapproval he strut across the smooth tile and set the folder he carried on the dining room table. Izumi was already putting a tea kettle on. Despite living in a western apartment she still took the responsibilities as "hostess" seriously. "This apartment…"

"You'll pardon the crude decorations…" She told him keeping her eyes focused on the task of measuring tea leaves. "My guardian had interesting tastes."

"I see…" He pulled out a chair and sat down. Once the tea was complete she set a cup in front of him and he accepted it surprisingly humble. She sat across from him and crossed her legs and folded her hands.

"So… may I ask what business you have here?"

"You will have noticed that I've put in a requests for you to intern with me." He set his cup down and placed his right hand over the folder. Izumi eyed it speculatively then looked up at his face.

"I have… I thought it was a joke."

"It's not a joke as I'm sure you and my son have discussed." He slipped the folder in front of her. "I propose an arrangement, one I think that will best satisfy us both."

"An arrangement?" She took the folder but didn't open it. "Not one of marriage I hope… I'm far too young to be thinking about such trivial things, and in any case I have a boyfriend."

"It's not, and as much as I respect your talent and audacity I think you an ill fit for my son."

"That we can agree on, though your son seems to have different opinions on the matter. He continuously spouts his feelings for me as if words are the key to the world. He's stoic most of the time and yet somehow when it comes to me I can never get him to shut up." She tapped her finger irritably.

"His crush will pass, I am sure. Until then I intend to use your temporary influence on him to help guide him down the right path." He folded his hands on the table. "You don't like to be controlled, so I won't force you into any situation because it will do me little good. Instead I want you to join me of your own free will. I will teach you, make you stronger, help you to further your need for power and influence… and in return your internship with me will give me the opening I need to convince my son to do the same."

"You really are a boasting fool aren't you Endeavor?" She pushed the folder back towards him. "I've no intention learning anything from you. You're the embodiment of everything that I'm trying to correct in hero's society and I will not further your ambition to control your son. So if that's all you came for then I suggest you-"

"You killed your guardian didn't you?"

"What?" Her eyes sharpened at the simple statement. "How dare you make such accusations in my own home?"

"As the #2 hero I could have the matter fully investigated." He motioned to the file and Izumi finally opened it and immediately slammed it down holding her mouth. Inside were pictures of All for One's corpse… half decayed. "By my request the body has already been released and the only thing left is to approve the full diagnosis of his death."

"He died of a heart attack…" She swallowed the bile in her throat along with the fear. Letting her anger take over she looked at this man with pure hatred. "You'll find nothing in that report, and when you do I'll bury you in a suit! How dare you!" She slapped her hands on the table. "What right… what possible right do you have to invade my privacy and dig up my family remains? Just because your son is infatuated with me you do all this to use it to your advantage? What kind of a hero does that!?"

"We heroes are entitled to bring those who commit crimes to justice. In order to do that we must learn the truth and exploit it!" He stood up and leaned in matching anger with steel resolve.

"If that's true then what of your own crimes?!" She spat at him. "What of your abused wife and neglected children?"

"The ends justify the means. When my son becomes the #1 hero due to my hard work and sacrifice it'll-"

"YOUR hardwork? YOUR sacrifice? HA!" She laughed in his face. "You arrogant selfish son of a bitch! Everything Shoto does from now on is his choice! It's HIS hard work, HIS sacrifices, HIS glory, it has NOTHING to do with you." She tossed the folder in his face. "He's an annoying pain in the ass who is still a student but he's still TEN times the hero you ever were or ever will be!"

"You little BITCH!" He slapped her across the face… and Izumi snapped. Before she knew what she was doing her quirk snagged his tie and yanked it tight across his throat. Her eyes went black and the tentacles whipped across snagging his hands and arms pinning him to the ground and holding him down.

"DON'T YOU DARE PUT YOUR HANDS ON ME YOU FILTHY FAKE!" She screamed at him her emotions completely out of control, her quirk growing stronger with every passing moment.

Endeavor tried to use his own quirk, tried to burn his tie off his neck but Izumi's quirk protected it from the heat making his flames obsolete. He tried to speak, try to tell her to let go but nothing would come out. His eyes roll up into the back of his head… and the fire of his soul was snuffed out.

_**~Ask Briry~**_

_**Briry: Ding Dong the bastard's dead… no other comment. **_

_**Next Chapter: Cover Up**_


	28. Cover Up

**Midori the Villain**

**Chapter 28: The Cover Up**

Dabi and Tomura had been bickering all day, and it was starting to get on Kurogiri's nerves. Despite the friendship building between the members of the league, it didn't stop the quips, and insults passed both ways. Toga did little to help the situation as she just watched and hummed with her normal grinning expression.

"Both of you stop your squabbling." Kurogiri tried to calm them and eyed the time. "It's nearly sundown. Karma should be home from school and we've business to attend to. The new weapons Giran promised have finally arrived, and we have to go over our strategy for the Stain collaboration."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah let's get going then." Tomura grunted, and stood up from the chess table. Knowing Izumi liked the game he and Dabi had both been practicing to give her more of a challenge. "I still say you cheated." Tomura pointed his finger in Dabi's face. Kurogiri's warp opened up.

"It's impossible to cheat at Chess. At any rate we're villains, it's in our code to cheat." Dabi rubbed his ear irritably. At Tomura's narrowed glare he sighed. "Look just give it a rest already. You're giving me a headache."

"I'll give you more than a headache you damn-" He started as they stepped into the warp and came out on the other side in Izumi's apartment.

"DON'T TOUCH ME YOU FILTHY FAKE!"

Izumi's rage-filled voice caught all of them off guard. They stood in the living room all shocked as Izumi's quirk whipped around out of control pinning down a large unfamiliar figure. It struggled and thrashed, little sparks of fire leaking out under the mass of her tentacles.

"Queeny's killing someone!" Toga jumped and clapped. "Oh goodie!"

"Not goodie, she's lost control of her quirk!" Dabi quickly ducked a stray tentacle. "She's gonna kill us all unless we stop her!"

"KARMA!" Tomura shouted her name. "STOP IT NOW!" When he was ignored Tomura sneered. "Kurogiri use your warp and get me right behind her."

"Right" He opened one up and both Tomura and Dabi jumped through grabbing Izumi by an arm and trying to subdue her.

"Karma! Karma calm down!" Dabi tried to shake her loose by she jerked against them punching and thrashing. He let out an oof as a stray elbow caught him in the ribs and Tomura grunted when her foot kicked out and caught his thigh.

"IZUMI!" Tomura finally shouted her name and turned her face closing his mouth over hers. The kiss finally broke the rage and Izumi blinked and slumped, her eyes returning to normal and her body going limp.

"T-Tomura?" Izumi held her head, her face deathly pale and her vision blurring from her loss of energy. "What happened?"

"That's what we'd like to know." He pet her head sighing with relief as things went back to normal. Thankfully all the windows and doors were undamaged which meant that no outside forces would be looking to investigate. Still she'd demolished a lot of furniture including the interior decorations and plants. "Just who the hell pissed you off?"

"My guess is this guy." Toga squatted next to Endeavor's limp corpse and she poked him in the cheek to make sure he was dead. "Nice work, Queeny."

"What?" Izumi looked up and her eyes went wide. "Oh shit!" She ran to the corpse and shook him. "Shit! OH SHIT SHIT SHIT!" She slammed her fists on his chest. "FUCKING SHIT!"

"What's wrong, who is…" Dabi came around the broken table and his own eyes went wide as saucers. "Is that… Endeavor!?"

Izumi nodded and she fell back and held her head cursing again.

"I'm sorry… I'm sorry… I just… he got me so angry! He hit me and I…"

"He hit you?" Tomura sneered and kicked the limp body. "Good riddance!"

"Pot and kettle…" Dabi muttered but crouched down to look at his dead father. "Unbelievable… he's really dead. I can't believe you killed him before I got the chance to."

Izumi clenched her teeth and rocked back and forth. When furniture started to float Dabi panicked and grabbed her shoulders.

"Oh no you don't, get a grip Karma!" He pulled her hands away. "It's just a dead hero. You're a villain, you've killed people before haven't you?"

"I only kill those that deserve it! I don't kill for-" She started to argue and Dabi yelled back at her.

"He DID deserve it! Look at me!" He shook her until her head snapped up. "He more than deserved to die after everything he's done! You've done your job! Now own up to it!"

"Zombie face is right, Karma." Tomura motioned to the corpse. "Even you yourself said he reminded you of Master. You killed him because he forced his control onto others. Just because Endeavor was a hero doesn't excuse him for the same crime… in fact it increases it."

"You're right…" Izumi said calmly after a moment and her head starts to return. "You're right, forgive me for flipping out." She took a long deep breath and slouched back against the wall. "Thank you, I almost lost my head again."

"Don't mention it. It's our job to ensure that you keep a cool head" Dabi ruffled her hair and stood up. "So use that cool head to figure out what to do about this. You've already got one death suspicion on your record. If the police find out Endeavor was killed in your home…"

"They won't…" She stood up and dusted herself off. "Kurogiri do you have the weapons?"

"Yes…" He dropped the cases from a warp onto the floor of the living room.

"Toga use your new toy." She stood and walked to her stroking a hand over her face. "Find a good spot to inject the needle so it doesn't leave a trace. Collect as much of Endeavor's blood as you can. We're gonna need it."

"Yes Queeny!" Toga giggled and opened up the case. She initially frowned at the ugly design but grinned at the sharp and pointy that was attached. "Hehehe."

"Remove his clothes and pack them away in Toga's empty weapon's case. Dabi go outside and see if you can find Endeavor's driver and car. Once everything's in place Toga will pose as Endeavor and carry out my plan."

"Right…" Dabi nodded and everyone started to get to work. Izumi excused herself to the bathroom. She splashed cold water on her face, took more deep breaths to keep herself calm then looked at her reflection.

"Three deaths on my hands… one of them accidental. I can't believe how easily I lost control. How long has that anger and hatred been boiling inside me?" She held the scarred half of her face. "Shoto… Dabi… just how much influence do the two of you have over my heart? A heart I promised to Tomura."

"Karma…" Tomura knocked on the door and she quickly turned off the water and dried her face off. "Have you calmed down?"

"Yes…" She opened the door and looked him straight in the eyes. "I'm sorry for the fuss. I should be used to death and destruction by now."

"You wouldn't be Karma if you were used to it." He cupped her face, keeping a pinky off each hand. "You never could stomach killing."

"I had no problem killing Sensei… the doctor was my first and it left a foul taste in my mouth. I'd never had any intention of killing Endeavor but now that I have I'm both sick and satisfied... but Sensei I killed without remorse or sickness and it left me feeling strong." She turned her eyes down. "Why does murder feel so different each time?"

"You act in the way it relates to you. Take it from someone who's done his fair share of killing and destroying." He pulled her to his side and made her look at Endeavor. Toga was happily draining blood from the stripped body, bruises on his neck standing out more now that his skin had gone pale. "Fighting for yourself is a lot easier than fighting for others. Try and make each death a little personal and it helps with the guilt and disgust." He stroked fingers through her hair then pressed his face into it inhaling her scent. "Zombie face made a point before. You're a villain… and a villain who can't stomach murder is weak. You're not weak are you, My Queen?"

"No…" Izumi's chin lifted as if to defy the guilt and sickness inside herself. "You're right, My King. I'll hardly gain Stain's favor if I let something like this rattle my chain." She turned to him and rose up on her toes to kiss him. "Thank You."

"I think you can do a little better than that." He nipped her bottom lip and pulled her in closer to deepen the kiss.

"Hey love birds, mind saving that until after we dispose of the body?" Dabi said with obvious jealousy and irritation.

"Mmmm point taken." She pat Tomura's chest smirking up at him. "Later… I promise." She walked back to the body. "We'll keep his body preserved back at the Nomu lab. Toga assume Endeavor's form and go to the Todoroki estate. Tell his children he'll be leaving for awhile, and tell Shoto he should choose another agency to intern with. Also make the necessary calls to his agency and inform his sidekicks that they are to resume their responsibilities as per the norm."

"Yes ma'am!" Toga saluted and she started stripping. While the boys made embarrassed faces and averted their eyes, Izumi watched with fascination as Toga transformed into Endeavor, clothes and all. Fully in character Toga adjusted the tie on his neck and took the personal effects Kurogiri handed to her.

"Once you've completed your objective of solidifying our alibi make your excuses and leave the estate. Endeavor will go missing for a time and when the moment is right we will stage his murder at the hands of our very own organization."

"Isn't that a bit risky?" Dabi questioned.

"It is but it's a profitable one. We are the organization that was shamed when attempting to kill All Might. No one wanted to take us seriously despite the risk we took. Now we get to show them things are different." Her lips suddenly curved into a wicked smirk as the idea fully came to view in her mind. "Yes… just imagine their reactions when they realize that we somehow managed to capture the #2 hero without a trace or witness to the event. We should make his death a grand spectacle… flashy and bold, and expose it to the world for all to see. Heroes and villains alike wouldn't dare call us riff raff after such a display of power."

"Now that's what I'm talking about." Tomura laughed and nuzzled into her temple. "I love the way your mind works."

"It does sound enticing…" Dabi smirked. "I'd like the chance to see my old man be put to shame. Just one question… how do we expose the death without exposing ourselves? Don't want heroes knocking on our door and ruining the fun."

"Just leave the planning to me." She flicked hair out of her face and turned to Kurogiri. "I'll put together a list of things I'll need to make this work including a couple of new recruits. Meet with Giran and offer him a generous sum if he finds the people and items I need. Also we'll need to scout for a temporary structure. I don't want to do the dirty work in one of our regular hideouts just in case the heroes manage to identify the layout."

"Yes, My Queen…" Kurogiri bowed.

"Alright then… you all have your assignments." She took one more look down at Endeavor's cold corpse and sneered at it. "Get this piece of trash out of my sight."

**~The following day~**

It took time, but in the end Izumi went with the Hero Uwabami for her internship. Izumi knew her to be a non-fighter type, a hero who specialized in search and rescue as well as support. It wasn't the path she expected to take, but she knew so much about tact and strength and battle. Now she wanted to know more about the rescue portion of heroic work and Uwabami seemed to be a good fit.

"You were also chosen by Uwabami-san?" Momo said with some surprise and delight.

"Yes… I know I had plenty of others to choose from but she works in the core of the city and she's really popular. I want to see if she lives up to the hype and what she can show me in terms of hero work."

"Agreed, I'm quite excited to be working with you Midoriya-san. Though I must admit I'm nervous as well. You performed so much better than I did."

"Hey none of that, Yao." Izumi pat her chin to keep it from tilting down. "We're gonna work great together, just you watch." She smiled and then looked to Shoto who was staring down at his internship form. "So how pissed off was your father?"

"Hmmm?" Shoto glanced up staring a bit blankly at her. "Oh… did he talk to you?"

"The man had the nerve to come knocking on my door… I can't believe the gall of him." She got angry still thinking about it. "I sent him out on his ear… I'm expecting I'll be hearing from the police soon."

"Huh?" The question came out of several mouths that lingered around including Shoto and Momo.

"Your father said he's reopening Sensei's heart attack case." She looked away and down. She hugged herself her fingers clenched in the sleeves of her jacket. "He showed me pictures of Sensei's body, tried to intimidate me into interning with him. I probably said some things I shouldn't but I was just so damn angry that I didn't care."

"Wait a minute…" Shoto stood and glared. "You mean to tell me he tried to blackmail you, Midoriya?"

"He wouldn't call it blackmail, he'd call it exposing the truth. Well he can dig all he wants, all he'll find is that Sensei was a brittle and sick old man with a bad heart. I look forward to making a fool out of him." She turned up her nose.

"So that's what he meant when he told Fuyumi and I he had a special case he was working on. He's trying to pin you down for murder." The anger and disgust was apparent in his voice and was music to Izumi's ears. He stood up and rounded Momo's desk to stand in front of her.

"He'll try and he'll fail." She pat his cheek giving him a sly smirk when he bare his teeth. "No need to mount your white horse, Shoto. I can take care of myself." She turned up her nose. "Let him make a fool of himself. I don't care in the slightest."

"Izumi this is serious…" Shoto took her shoulders. "You don't know my dad like I do. He doesn't believe in failure. He'll find and use any evidence at his disposal."

"There's nothing for him to find, so leave it alone. If I make a move to stop the investigation it's just going to look bad on me. So let him poke around and look foolish, because it doesn't matter. Sensei is dead, he had a heart attack…" She brushed him off and turned away. "End of story."

There, Izumi thought as she quickly exited the room. The seeds were planted, and her role in place. She'd play the angry yet disinterested party. She established that she met with Endeavor, and Shoto established he met with Endeavor afterward. Her alibi was sealed.

Now all that was left was for Giran to do his part and find her the recruits she'd need for her elaborate message with the League of Villains as the highlight. It was a waiting game now, and patient planning was key in the success or her overall plan. Even if aligning themselves with Stain ultimately failed, no one would be able to ignore the group that killed the #2 hero.

After school was done for the day she went home to change, and then signaled Kurogiri to warp her into headquarters. She'd slipped on training clothes so she could practice with the weapons she had contracted, as well as test out the other new toys she'd requested.

"What's with the jewelry?" Dabi asked when Izumi handed him a simple metallic bracelet.

"S.O.S tracker beacons." She stated simply and strapped one on herself. She pressed the square at the top and Kurogiri's phone went off alerting him to her whereabouts. "We can't afford to lose Kurogiri so I'm stationing him at home base. These trackers will allow us to contact him if we're in need of rescue. A single press tells him we need immediate pick up. A double press is for him to contact us and set up a meet up point, and a triple press means heroes are in the vicinity and he should take extreme caution."

"Convenient and efficient as always… are these for me?" He opened the case with his name on it. He lifted up the clothes inside and rubbed the material through his fingers. "Fireproof?"

"Very… They were tested against magma so they'll hold up against even the highest of temperatures." She rubbed her hands over the fabric. "I hope they're to your tastes."

"Looks like…" he pulled up a pin with a sword on it and snorted. "What's this?"

"Don't laugh, it's a symbol." She took it out and turned him to her. She pinned it to his jacket smiling affectionately. "You're my knight aren't you? Every knight needs a sword."

"Could've given me a real one, but I wouldn't know what to do with it. So I guess this works." he rubbed it gently. There was a definite loud skip to his heartbeat and it irritated him that he was so touched by the small gesture. To keep up appearances he faked disinterest and poked around the other gadgets she was pulling out. "Who's this for?" He lifted up a long metal whip and snapped it making her laugh.

"Mine…" She grabbed it and rolled it out cautiously. With a quick flick, thorn-like spikes protruded out. She focused her quirk into her hand, funneling the energy into the device of her whip before cracking it again and cutting a chair to ribbons. "My quirk is a part of my identity. If people recognize me using it as "Karma" I risk getting found out. I felt this was a more efficient way to hide it. By putting my energy into the whip I can control it as I like without the need to surround it in aura. I can also shoot small beams of energy from the thorns adding to its range and efficiency."

"You've thought of everything haven't you?" Dabi mused gently brushing back the hair that fell into her face again. His smug smile grew when he watched her cheeks go pink.

"I wouldn't say everything." She gave a careless strug and returned the smile."Just the essentials. Comlinks for keeping in touch, the SOS devices for rescue and escape, specified weapons that enhance our quirks and abilities, and last but not least…" She opened the final case grinning at what was inside. "Some chemical warfare."

"What?" Dabi poked his head in and his brow rose. "Poison?"

"Among other things…" Izumi lifted up one vial in particular. "Colorless, odorless, tasteless, and can pass the most strict of autopsies. I used the exact same poison to kill off Sensei."

"Which explains why you were so confident when police and insurance investigators were poking their noses into your business." Tomura said as he entered the room. He took a quick gander at the objects already pulled out of the cases then opened the one with his name on it. His brow rose when it only held a pair of gloves. "What's this?"

"Oh I almost forgot about these." Showing some excitement Izumi set her weapons back in the case and ran to him. "Here try them on." She pulled one out and held it out to him.

"Karma, you know I can't-"

"Just try it on, silly goose." She snagged one of his hands and shoved it on herself. Tomura's eyes blinked in surprise when the glove didn't disintegrate on touch. "Each finger is stitched in with a separate padding…" She touched each finger individually. "So your quirk doesn't affect them. They also have heat and touch sensors so they feel like you're barely wearing anything at all." She placed the gloved hand over her cheek and his had tensed a moment. He gently brushed the fingers along her cheekbone and up to her temple.

"Do you like them?" She asked with hopeful eyes.

"What the hell are you doing to me?" He whispered and pulled his hand away from her. Her eyes saddened but the brightened again when he slipped the other gloved on and flexed his fingers in and out. "As I thought…" He looked back at Izumi with a serious expression. "I'm no good without you."

"Tomura…" Her smile was so bright that everyone in the room forgot they were villains. Both Dabi and Tomura realized then and there that she was doing something no villain had done before. She was turning them into a family, giving them support, love, devotion… and it felt strange.

Izumi's phone rang, saving them all from the touching and pure moment. Reading the caller ID Izumi's lips twitched at seeing Toga's "Black Rook" on her phone display.

"She's making contact… which means the final piece is in play. All that's left is Giran to finish our shopping list." She answered, and after having a brief conversation with Toga she hung up and her grin split her face. "When we pull this off, there's not a single person alive who will be able to ignore us. We're going to make history boys..." She turned around gripping her phone, the crazed look in her eyes making the sweet atmosphere from before completely fade away. "I can't wait to see what the world has to say about it."

_**~Ask Briry~**_

_**Briry: Shorter chapter, but I've been having to work a lot of graveyards lately so not as much time to write *sad face* At any rate I'll do what I can to punch the next chapter out faster. I've also made some progress with my KH fic and The Cursed Kingdom, I just need to tweak a few things and I should be able to post those soon-ish. **_

_**Next Chapter: Bad Mass Communication**_


	29. Bad Mass Communication

**Midori the Villain**

**Chapter 29: Bad Mass Communication**

"Are these the new recruits you mentioned?" Izumi sat on the bar, her legs crossed and her hands casually sharpening one of her throwing knives.

"Yes, the two on my right took interest after I told them which Hero death they'd be involved in. The other two are just looking for a solid team to partner with. Allow me to make introductions." Giran motioned to them one at a time.

"The name's Twice, nice to meet you!" The masked man said cheerfully and flipped them off at the same time. Izumi raised a curious brow at the gesture but smiled nonetheless. Villains often had a quirkiness about them… she'd just accept the gesture as is.

"Mr. Compress…" Giran motioned to the man beside Twice.

"I've seen your wanted posters…" Izumi murmured and leaned back on her hands eyeing the man carefully. Like her he wore a mask that covered his face, and an elaborate magician's costume. "You specialize in thievery and escapes."

"That's right… I'm a master illusionist. A professional of my craft…" he stepped towards her with a knife… Dabi moved in to shield her but she held out her hand and motioned the man forward. He tossed the knife in the air and it became an elegant bouquet of roses. "For you, my queen." He bowed before her presenting her with the flowers.

"I would have preferred the knife as a gift…" she teased but accepted the bouquet slipping one rose out to mock sniff. "Still your chivalry and showmanship are appreciated. I can use a man of your talents for the stage I'm about to set."

"So I've heard…" He remained bowing. "I look forward to making magic with you, dear lady."

"And I you… Hmmm?" She looked to the final two. One man stood holding a camera bag over his shoulder, a traditional Japanese looking man with his only discernible feature were his wide black eyes that looked twice the size of a normal person. The second was familiar to her... taller and clearly a foreigner with his bright blonde hair, silvery gray eyes, and designer clothes. "I've seen you before. You're a reporter aren't you?"

"Yes he is …" Giran jerked a thumb in their direction. "These are the ones I picked to meet the items on your criteria."

"Oh?"

"Their real names are Louis Koijirou and Jethro Utsushimi. However they're also well known throughout the black market as "Ace" and "Broadcast." Giran explained. "They head a small gang of informants that deliver dirt on heroes to other villains."

"It's a pleasure Miss Karma." Ace smiled and walked up to extend his hand out to her. "Giran says you've a plan that'll make headline news. I'm anxious to be a part of it all."

"If you're here to meet my criteria that must mean one of you has a truth inducing quirk… I take it as the reporter that's your expertise?" She smirked behind her mask.

"It is…" He removed his slender frame glasses. "Shall I demonstrate?"

"Not on her…" Dabi immediately stood in front of Izumi. "The Queen is off limits."

"Not as fun… but I'll take what I can get." Ace looked him directly in the eyes. "What's your name, sir?"

"I go by Dabi… but my real name is Touya. I'm the eldest son of Enji Todoroki." Dabi blinked and his face twisted up when he realized what was happening. "The hell?"

"Oh, is that so?" Ace smirked.

**Villain Name: Ace**

**Quirk: Sincere Stare, once a person looks directly into his eyes they find themselves spouting the truth. The quirk only lasts for up to five minutes, but can be used multiple times in a row. **

"Those are some serious burns, Touya-san… How did you receive them?" Ace went on looking smug and tickled at the reaction of his victim.

"My father…" Dabi grit his teeth trying to keep himself from talking but the words wouldn't stop. "I inherited my mother's deficiency to fire. So when my father forced me to go past my limits my skin caught fire and nearly killed me."

"That's terrible. You must resent your father a great deal."

"I hate him. There's no words that can describe how much I despise him. I hate him for what he's done to me, to my mother, my siblings... I... ENOUGH!" Dabi jerked and held his mouth trying to keep himself from saying anymore. Izumi touched his shoulder and held out her hand her eyes narrowing from behind her mask.

"That's enough, you've proved your point." She jumped off the counter and gently stroked a hand over Dabi's chest. "Dabi, are you alright?"

"Forgive me Izumi, but I'm leaving."

"That's fine… I can take it from here. I have Kurogiri nearby if I need him." She gave him a gentle push to the door then turned to Ace. "Your quirk definitely suits my needs… but I'll kindly ask you to refrain from using it without permission. Now what do you expect in return for lending your power to me?"

"I just want the story…" Ace smirked slipping his glasses back on. "I'm eager to document the rise of power in The Queen of Villains, and of course her King if he ever decides to make an appearance."

"He will… Tomura is currently keeping an eye on our plan's progress." She crossed her arms and looked to his cameraman. "Is his quirk as interesting as yours?"

"No… but it's far more powerful in my opinion." He turned to his partner. Broadcast casually strolled up to the television and set his hand against the screen.

"You boast for me too much, Ace." Broadcast said stoically and his eyes flicker white a moment. There was a brief moment of static and then suddenly the TV screen blinked onto the scene that had just taken place. It looked like a recording, retelling the events of the conversation in almost perfect detail except now Dabi's face was smiling, looking calm and consensual.

**Villain Name: Broadcast**

**Quirk: Premier; Allows him to recreate an illusion of an image that he's seen. He needs a media screen of some form to display, and depending on his concentration he can change little details such as the person's expression and the clothes they are wearing, but he can not manipulate sounds.**

Izumi saw this and her grin spread from behind her mask. Yes… this was what she had been missing. These four people were the final pieces to her game and it was time to begin playing.

"You're all hired. We can discuss terms of agreement after we have a group meeting for my plan." She turned to face them all. "Gentlemen, welcome to the League of Villains."

**~Later~**

Dabi had missed the entire session. Izumi couldn't blame him after what had happened. The guy had been determined to keep his identity a secret from the rest of the leaguers… but the truth had slipped so easily out of him.

He heard Izumi's front door open and he clenched his fist around the glass of whisky he'd poured himself. It wasn't often he drank alcohol, but when he did he went for the good stuff.

"Are you angry with me?" She removed her mask and shook her hair loose so it curled around her face.

"I've no reason to be angry with you." He spun the glass between his fingers. "I'm more pissed at myself that I walked right into that reporter's trap. If word gets out that I-"

"I've sworn him to secrecy on that matter." She assured him and stepped up to rub his back. "All league secrets are to remain secrets unless I say. If he breaks trust then he forfeits his life. He's a smart man, he knows what news to spread and what news to keep to himself."

"You trust him?" He glared down at her.

"Not in the least… but I trust the fear of god that I put into his eyes." She smirked at him. "Believe me he won't say a word unless I tell him to otherwise."

"So I should trust you?" He turned pushing his drink away and shifting off the stool to trap her hips in his hands.

"My threats can be trusted… but not my actions" She slipped into his arms offering comfort by hugging him. "I've a tendency to hurt people without meaning to. I'm sorry that my request for him hurt you, Dabi."

"He didn't hurt me…" he whispered and pressed his forehead to hers. "Ace is a prick, but he's a minor annoyance to me. What really hurts is your careless affection. Why are you comforting me, Karma? I thought you love Tomura."

"I do love him… He's reserved a special place in my heart that no one can replace." She stroked his face her eyes full of sincerity. "I can love him and still have an affection for you, can't I? You're important to me Dabi. You're my knight, my confidant, and you have my utmost trust which is something I rarely give even to members of the league."

"You shouldn't…" He pulled her hands away and tried to step back but she wouldn't let him. She caught his wrists. He was rattled, and unsure of his place here. She had to make him understand that he belonged with them. She had to give him back his confidence or she would would lose a very important piece to her game.

"Well I do, and rightly so. You shielded me as a proper knight should. That not only deserves my trust but also deserves a reward don't you think?" She let him go and unbuttoned her shirt. The white fabric fell to the ground revealing the scarred yet tantalizing flesh underneath. Dabi's breath hitched painfully in his throat.

"Damn straight it does…" Unable to resist that naked collar bone his mouth latched onto it. At her low throaty purr his desires stirred with fervor. Without a word or second thought he lifted her up and carried her into the bedroom.

**~Two Days Later~**

"That's a wrap!" Broadcast called out and turned off the camera. Toga who had been playing as Endeavor slipped out of that form and back into herself. Izumi tossed her a robe to cover herself with.

"Nice job everyone." She complimented and lifted up her mask to blotch the sweat away before setting it back on her face. "Looks like we've got ourselves a tantalizing murder."

"You direct well," Ace complimented and walked onto the set. "The few little additives you put in were strokes of genius."

"More like momentary epiphanies…" She corrected smirking behind her mask. When he lifted his hand to sneak a peek she slapped the back of his hand with the end of her whip. "Ah, ah, ah… what did I say about snooping?"

"Can't blame me for the curiosity. I take it you still don't trust me quite yet." Ace teased and Shigaraki walked up placing a possessive hand on her shoulder. The gloves she'd given him were a perfect fit and just the tool he needed to make him comfortable with intimacy again.

"As she shouldn't. While I commend you for ruffling Dabi's feathers in a way I can't seem to, I will ask you to refrain from using your quirk on my subjects." He glared at Ace. "Especially on myself and my queen."

"Of course, your highness." Ace bowed to Shigaraki and looked to Izumi. "Pardon my insolence. You've been most kind to give me this one of a kind scoop. I'd be a fool to waste it."

"Then I suggest you spread the news and fast." Izumi pat his chest then slid into Tomura's hold as they walked away. "You'll have another within a fortnight and you'll want to eat up the popularity while you still have the chance."

"You sure about him?" Tomura took one more glance back, the crew behind them packing away the debris from their shoot. The video that they made together would be viewed by the world if all went well… and Izumi had the utmost belief that it would.

"I don't know about him… but I'm sure of their abilities." She explained and removed her mask the moment they got privacy. She wiped the rest of the sweat away and looked up at him. The look in her eyes was smug and confident. "I don't need to trust him… I just need to outsmart and use him."

"That's my queen…" he took her chin and kissed her. "Mmmm and good work with Dabi. I don't like other men touching you, but I'll tolerate it with him as it's the only way he'll listen to orders."

"I'm grateful, Tomura. I don't like deceiving you which is why I told you right away of what was going on." She stroked his face. "He reminds me of his brother and Kacchan… Shoto has been all too eager to break down my defenses. Having Dabi here to has eased my heart and given me strength against such temptations."

"Speaking of which, has he taught you any new tricks yet?" He toyed with her hair and licked her cheek making her shudder some.

"A few…" She slid her arms around his neck and breathed heavily on his lips. "Shall I show them to you?"

Eager to devour her Tomura tugged open the first button of Izumi's pants. He button on the end of his glove tugging it off and slid four fingers down the front of her belly. Just as he was about to make the dive in there was a loud knock on the door and both grunted with irritation.

"Who is it?" Izumi asked, completely annoyed. Toga's voice answered on the other end.

"Queeny! Acey wants to know when you'd like Broadcast to feature the video we made."

"Friday. Internships start Monday morning so I want everyone to be aware of it before we disperse from school."

"OKIE DOKIE!" She called back and hummed skipping back down the hall.

"Tch, so many distractions. Let's go home." He took her hand and yanked her along. "I don't want anymore interruptions."

"No argument from me…" She walked with him willingly and slipped the mask back on as they slip out of the hideout and onto the streets again. "Want me to signal Kurogiri to pick us up?"

"Do a double press so we can do a meet place. I don't want anyone hitching a ride with us." He said with a sneer. "What's this about featuring the video and making everyone at your school aware of it? I get that Endeavor's death would be released, but there's no guarantee that the media would release actual footage of the attack."

"Who said we were going to use traditional mass media?" She smirked and picked up her phone when it rang. "Kurogiri? Pick Tomura and I up at meet point K and send us home.. Don't let anyone else hitch a ride, is that clear?"

"Yes, Karma."

"If we're not using mass media," Tomura continued when she hung up and they walked together to the meet point. "Then how are we going to release the video to the public?"

"Connections, My King." She leaned up on her toes to kiss his cheek and slid her fingers through his gloved ones. Kurogiri's warped appeared in front of them and she led him in with a seductive sway in her steps. "All kinds of connections."

**~Friday Afternoon: UA Cafeteria~**

"Hey, Ochaco come take a look at this cat video, it's so cute!" Hagakure waved her phone at Uraraka who slid her chair closer and bent her head in. With Ashido and Froppy leaning their heads in to oggle all four began to squee in awe.

"HOW CUTE!"

Izumi rolled her eyes laughing at the giddy females. Such simpletons were amused by the silliest things. She eyed the clock with a firm scowl. One minute to go… why was she so anxious to get it over with?

"You alright there Midoriya?" Kirishima asked taking a seat across from her.

"Yeah I'm alright." She gave him a small smile. "I'm just worried about Iida is all. He hasn't been himself lately." Iida had been keeping his distance all week despite doing his best to pretend nothing was wrong. Due to his estrangement both she and Uraraka had been accompanying Kirshima, Shoto and a few of their other classmates.

"I hear yah…" He reached across the way to pat her hand. "Don't worry, I'm sure he'll be back to normal after he's had some time to-" he started to comfort but lost focus as all screens in the cafeteria flipped to black including the ones for the menus.

"Hey what's wrong with your phone?" Ashido tapped Tohru's screen as all the girls frowned over the lost video. Izumi's eyes looked up at the clock and she had to push back the smug smile that wanted to appear.

_Showtime._

Everything blinked back on, but to Tomura pressing his face into the lens of the camera.

"Is it working?" He asked and tapped a gloved finger to the glass.

"Yes, sir," a muffled voice responded and had him grinning creepily.

"Good, then let's get this started.

All around students looked on puzzled and horrified at the display.

"What the hell is this?"

"Hey isn't that the guy that attacked USJ?!"

"Holy shit you're right!"

"Attention everyone, thank you for tuning into my live broadcast." He put a hand to his chest bowing. "I am the leader of the League of Villains and I'd like to make a statement to the world."

Teachers looked baffled, many trying to change the channel of screen. Izumi held back another look of smug satisfaction. None of that would work, she thought. Broadcast was sending his vision through a direct satellite link that he and Ace had access to. This picture was being sent directly to every screen in Japan… and could very well go global if she had the inclination to do just that.

"HOLY SHIT!" She snapped from her mental pat on the back and turned to Denki who stare pale faced and dumbfounded at his own phone. "Todoroki isn't that-"

Shoto bent his head in and his normally stoic expression went pale and stricken at what he saw. Tomura took a seat like a true king, his body relaxed and face looking over the man kneeling before him and the masked villains off to the side serving as the jury. Most of them were all extras

"You stand accused of spousal abuse, child neglect, and overall just being a royal jerk. How do you plea, Hellfire Hero?" Karma, her voice warped through a mechanism in her mask, spoke and echoed through the wide empty warehouse serving as the courtroom.

"What sort of game are you playing at? How the hell did I end up here?"

"Defendant is in contempt of court." Shigaraki tapped his finger in the air. Karma nodded and whipped him across his face forming a massive welt on his cheek.

"Every time you speak out that isn't a direct answer to the question I'll have to have you punished, Mr. Endeavor." Shigaraki smirked at him. Izumi lifted his chin up slowly with the end of her whip so he looked directly into Shigaraki's eyes. "Now how do you plea?"

He spat blood at Tomura's feet and Karma smacked him again on the opposite cheek and turned to the camera.

"Seems the defendant has chosen to plead the fifth. That's quite alright i've more than enough evidence to convict…" she held out her arms. "Ladies and gentleman of the jury I give you exhibit A." She tosses a folder with his wife's pictures in them. With Dr. Nakahara's connections she was able to obtain all kinds of information about his wife and children. Reports of her supposed "Self inflicted" injuries, Shoto's and Touya's medical history in reference to their burns, as well as his wife's mental instability and confinement to an institution.

"How did they know?" Shoto stare at the screen holding his scarred face looking positively sick at having this all unleashed for the world to know. "How did they find out?"

"The so called hero you see before you is a false god!" Karma announced to all who watched. "He proclaims himself a hero, goes through the motions of saving others and gaining the popularity that comes with it. This glorified profession hides who he truly is… a selfish family dictator who knows nothing of respecting ones family and offspring. He borderline tortures his children to make them stronger, and beat his wife when she tried to intervene… all for the soul purpose of his selfish desire to defeat All Might and become the number one hero!"

"Attention all students, please shut off all electronic devices and return to your classrooms!" The PA system tried to halt the panic but too many people were invested and curious about what was happening to the Hellfire hero.

"The League of Villains was created to stand against the heroes that abused their power. We announced ourselves to the world when we chose to face against All Might and the staff of U.A. high school. We believed such a school shouldn't exist, teaching children false truths about the world, and about how hero society should behave. You are a prime example of why the world should change!" Karma pointed an accusing finger at Endeavor's shamed and bleeding face.

"Why the hell isn't Endeavor fighting back? Is everything they're saying true?"

"He's the Number 2 hero and yet these villains have him on his knees looking ready to beg for mercy. Just how powerful are they?"

"Well?" Karma lifted up his chin again with her whip. "Have you anything to say in your defense, Endeavor?"

"Enough… you made your point." He hung his head again. "I've nothing to say to you or your band of tyrants. If you're going to kill me, then do it."

"Your honor… members of the jury..." Karma lift her chin proudly. "The prosecution rests. The decision is now yours."

"Has the jury reached a verdict?" Tomura leaned on his knuckles glancing over at the makeshift band of villains who huddled together almost comically. After a moment they all stood up and Mr. Compress lead the pack in proclaiming…

"We the jury find the defendant guilty of all charges!"

"ALL STUDENTS REPORT TO YOUR CLASSROOMS NOW!" Present Mic shouted through the speakers now trying to halt the viewing of what was to come. Shouts and screams echoed as people shoved and pushed unable to pull their eyes away from their phones.

"Any last words, Endeavor?" Karma asked, her whip choked around his neck as Dabi, dressed as an executioner stepped up and placed a hand over his head. Endeavor laughed and looked straight into camera.

"Burn in hell!"

"You first." Dabi retorted and set Endeavor's body aflame. Despite his affinity for fire, Dabi's more potent flames slowly melt the skin and bones of his father, the graphic depiction gruesome and nightmarish.

The visuals and screams unleashed caused massive panic and horror throughout the school. Izumi let herself get swept away by the panic, People shoved, shouted, cried… it was mass hysteria.

...and Izumi loved every minute of it.

_**~Ask Briry~**_

_**Briry: Graveyard shifts are kicking my butt! I'm doing my best to get these chapters punched out as fast as I can. I apologize for the delay. **_

_**Next Chapter: Material Girls**_


	30. Material Girls

**Midori the Villain**

**Chapter 30: Material Girls**

The death of Endeavor ate up all the news. As promised The King and Queen of Villains and their league of followers delivered the story of the century covering over even the Hero Killer Stain. There was already some speculation about their involvement together and Izumi wanted that made into concrete evidence. By having witnesses of Karma and Stain working together it was bound to add credibility to their actions and cause. The trick was to actually make it happen.

"You heard back from him?" Izumi asked and pushed herself up against a corner in the busy train station.

"Yes," Kurogiri spoke from the other end. "He's been scouting for some time, but he says he's sure of his next target. He wants you to accompany him."

"Sounds like fun." Her lips curves into a smirk and she waved to Kaminari and Kirishima as they walked passed her to catch their train. "When?"

"Wednesday. He says routine will have this hero walk straight into the perfect hunting grounds. He gave me the coordinates."

"Good… get with Tomura, Dabi and Toga. Toga is to be prepared to take my place at any given moment so I can properly prepare for my date." She smiled at the term, knowing Toga would appreciate that terminology.

"Yes, my queen. I shall call once all the preparations have been made "

"Good. See you in two days." She hung up and picked up her hero costume case. She started heading for her terminal when she spotted Bakugo and Todoroki walking together. The odd sight had her curious and she walked towards them. "Well this is rare seeing the two of you together."

"We don't have a choice in the matter." Bakugo grunted irritably. "We both picked the same damn hero to train with."

"Really?" Izumi looked at Todoroki. He shifted his gaze away from her, and a stab of guilt surprised her. She clenched her fist around the handle of her case. God damn it, she thought with a small wince, she'd been so proud of the display. She relished in the panic, the mourning, and the speculation she and the league had caused. Yet the moment she saw Todoroki's face all of the joy and pride vanished. Why the fuck did she care about him? He was just another pawn, another piece in her game to use!

"We're going to miss our train, Bakugo." Shoto said and turned his back to Izumi.

"Todoroki-kun…" Izumi instinctively stepped towards him. She wasn't sure what to say at first. What did you say to the son of the man you murdered? "I'm sorry about your dad. I know he wasn't the ideal father but… he was still your family."

"You don't need to apologize. You're relieved aren't you?" Shoto glanced back, his gaze cool and distant which added to the stab of guilt in her chest. "He won't go prying into your personal life now."

"That doesn't matter…" She grit her teeth and lowered her eyes. "That never mattered to me. It just pissed me off that he would go that far to control you. That he would-" She started to explain but he cut her off with a quick yet calm statement.

"Well now he can't control anyone. He's dead." The sheer truth of it, paired with his icy tone made her inwardly shudder. "It's just like you said, it doesn't matter. The only thing that matters now is what to do from here." He starts walking away from her, the sight of his strong back and tense presence reminded her of the Sports Festival. "I'm going to become a top hero. When I do I won't let murderous freaks like them rule the world. I'll find the bastards myself and bring them to justice." The steely resolve behind his words was enough to have fear shaking up Izumi's spine.

"You and Iida are birds of a feather…" She murmured looking to Bakugo who had been watching her the entire time. "Look after him, Kacchan? Make sure he doesn't do anything stupid."

"I'm not his damn babysitter. I'll let Jean Face mind his temper." He turned his nose up. "See you in a week."

"Yeah…" She held her stomach, wondering why all of the high and thrill she'd been experiencing moments before suddenly came to a crashing halt. She needed to take a minute to calm herself, relax and reevaluate.

"_I'll find the bastards myself and bring them to justice." _

"Was his death not justice? Wasn't it exactly what he deserved after what he did to you and your family?" She grit her teeth and kept walking towards her terminal. The voices around her silenced as the sound of her own erratic heartbeat boomed in her ears. "You think you can stop me from changing the world Todoroki-kun? You think just because I have sympathy for you and your family I'll let you stop what I've put into motion? Tch!" Her eyes hardened and she grit her teeth until it turned up into a gritty smile. "You're not the only one who has resolve. I'll bury you in mine."

**~Uwabami~**

Izumi's eyebrow twitched as she watched the seasoned Pro prep herself in the mirror. A joke...this had to be some kind of joke. Why the hell did this woman put requests in for three different female students and then spend most of her schedule doing commercials, tv spots, interviews and the like?

"Why am I here? I don't have Yao's and Kendo's natural beauty so why request me?" She pointed to herself as the staff fussed with Kendo and Yaoyorozu for their upcoming hair commercial.

"You won the Sports Festival didn't you?" Uwabami smiled at her reflection then turned her chair to face Izumi. "Your hair isn't long enough for this kind of commercial, but in your case you don't need beauty to be popular. You're strong, and fierce, and that creates its own attention. You've noticed it, haven't you? How many people were staring at you since then? How many people recognized your face, or wanted to shake your hand?"

Izumi's brow twitched again. It was true she'd been getting a lot of attention. During the train ride up here both she and Yaoyorozu were ogled by men and women alike. She felt their eyes, heard their whispers, and had felt the itch between her shoulder blades from the added attention.

"So you wanted me as your intern because I'm popular? That doesn't mean much of anything. A lot of my classmates are being noticed because of the sports festival." She crossed her arms frowning.

"Your classmates didn't win, did they?" She gave a perky smile. :I'm sure you'll get a better idea as the day progresses. Once Yao-chan, Kendo-chan and I finish the hair commercial I've an interview with a popular magazine and I'd like you to attend it with me. Pay attention to the questions they're asking me, and watch their eyes as they do so. Trust me it'll be informative."

Somehow Izumi highly doubted that. Still there was no point in pouting and whining about it now. She was stuck with her decision, and she'd see it through. She watched the photoshoots, the commercial, and mentally took notes of everything that went into both. Not because she was interested, but because she was sure somewhere down the line these bits and pieces of information could be useful to her in some fashion.

She had to take something away from this trivial experience. Uwabami was so popular and there had to be a legit reason for it. Was it her looks? Her style? Her demeanor? She seemed so happy to please the clients, taking requests on poses, lines, and phrasing even if it made her look odd.

"Satisfy the client before satisfying yourself…" she murmured even as her eyes continue to wander and take in all her surroundings. "That makes sense. The client holds the power here. They know what vision they want, and have the bigger picture of what the final product is gonna come out to be. Plus the client is the one that pays you, and if you fail at your job you're less likely to get paid." Three sets of eyes watched her, two with curiosity, and one with amusement.

"She just soaks it all in doesn't she?" Uwabami commented to Yaoyorozu as they stepped onto their respective platforms. "She's like a resilient sponge."

"Yes, Midor- I mean Black Phoenix is quite resilient. There are others who have higher grades and stronger quirks in our class, but she's outperformed them all because of that resilience. I admire her for it and hope to learn from it as well." Yaoyorozu confessed.

"You two must be good friends, Creati." Uwabami smiled at her. "Are you close?"

"Well I wouldn't say especially…" Yao played with her fingers but flushed with pleasure at the idea. "She's closer to Uravity, but she's had tea at my home before and we get along well."

"Sounds like good friends to me." Kendo gave a large thumbs up. "You're way too modest."

"You think?" Yao touched her flushed face earning a disapproving look from the make-up artist.

"Totally… lighten up." Kendo smiled and pat her back. "Just treat her as you would treat any true friend, and you'll become even closer for it."

"Okay, I think I'll do that!" Yaoyorozu sparkled at the idea, and simply shined through the commercial, even with the silly dialogue being said. She flipped her hair so naturally, and smiled with warmth and pleasure. All her nerves were gone.

Izumi watched and had to admit jealousy tugged at her insides. Oh she knew she wasn't ugly… hell she managed to attract the attention of several guys without the need of gloss and priss. Still… for once she'd like to be told she was beautiful. She was told she was cute, attractive, and on occasion sexy, but the word "beautiful" just didn't seem to apply to her. She'd live with it. Dabi and Shigaraki liked her for who she was, and that was enough.

"This place just doesn't suit me." Izumi decided and stood up to excuse herself to the bathroom. She pulled out her phone and scrolled through numbers before calling Tomura. It rang three times before he finally picked up.

"SHUT IT!" He yelled before putting the phone to his ear. "Hello?"

"Did I call at a bad time?" She couldn't resist the smile that tugged on her lips. She heard Dabi's complaints in the background followed by Toga's laughter and Twice's quip about the two fighting like an old married couple.

"I'm gonna pretend I didn't hear that!" Shigaraki warned and then brought his attention back to Izumi. "These peasants are driving me insane. When are you coming back?"

"Soon My King…" She affectionately held the phone to her ear. "I have to work a little while longer before I can come out to play."

"Tch… your real work is here at my side." He said stubbornly and made her smile. "It's this hero business you're playing at."

"I'm not playing at it, it's what I want and what I've worked hard to become. I need to be a part of both in order to change the world."

"Something about that logic is flawed and you know it." He clenched his gloved fist over the black queen from her chess set. "What's it going to take for you to see that you don't belong with them? You belong with me."

The trouble was, Izumi had to admit with some grief, she was seeing it now. She wanted to be a hero, but the way hero society worked as of right now just didn't suit her. She hated the glorification, the popularity, the gloss and shine. She hated that certain quirks and certain kinds of people gained all the attention and fame while those who truly deserve such praise were left in the dark.

To her stuff like that didn't matter. She wanted to be seen as a hero by only by those that mattered. She wanted Kacchan and Todoroki to see that she was as strong and capable as them. She wanted her classmates to see she was the best of them. She wanted Senpai to acknowledge her, and All Might to continue praising her. Most of all she wanted Tomura to love and cherish her.

"I am yours." She whispered and cradled the phone to her ear. I am your hero, she added silently and held her chest. In time you will come to see that, I'm sure.

"Be sure you don't forget that." He starts to hang up but a distressed sound from Izumi had him stopping. "What is it?"

"I… it's a stupid question." She flushed and fidgeted staring at herself in the bathroom mirror. "Do you think I'm pretty?"

"You're not pretty and that is a stupid question." He said with a sneer and had her wincing. She felt heart aching and shame wash over her. After a brief moment of embarrassed silence Tomura spoke again. "You're not pretty, "he repeated on a sigh. "You're gorgeous."

"Eh?" Izumi's head shot up, her eyes brightening and she could hear Tomura struggling with his embarrassment.

"There I said it. Now stop acting like a fool and finish whatever it is that you're doing so you can come home." He hung up and turned around to see everyone staring at him with a mix of sly grins and knowing looks. "Stop staring and get back to work you imbeciles!" He shoved his phone and Dabi and stalked off feeling a flush creep on his normally pale cheeks. Damn woman was making him lose his edge.

Izumi closed her phone and held it to her chest. The smile spread wide over her face and she let out a sweet giggle. Tomura was an idiot when it came to real romance… but he definitely had his moments.

_**~Meanwhile at the Tattooin Police Station~**_

All Might stood next to Detective Tsukauchi as they addressed the team of police and small group of heroes. Among them were a few other U.A. teachers including the principle, Midnight, Cementoss, Present Mic and Eraser Head.

"We'll be sending out this information to all available hero agencies within Endeavor's sector, but considering the League's previous attack on U.A. we felt it was best to share this information with all of your directly."

"We're listening…" Aizawa crossed his arms looking worn but fully attentive to the situation.

"Do you have any new leads on where the broadcast originated?" Nezu asked.

"It seems they're using a private circuit, one that leads to a satellite which allowed for its broad reception. My guess is the league has some connection with the Black Market Network and they're using those connections to avoid being detected."

"The Black Market Network has been at large since heroes first appeared and it's grown tremendously since then. It's doubtful we'll find any new leads or likely hitzones by following their actions." Midnight explained with a frown.

"What about these newbies here…" Present Mic flipped a page showing stills of Karma, Dabi, and Mr. Compress from the video feed. "I don't recall seeing them in the previous line up during the USJ attack. Eraser?" He glanced at Aizawa who frowned at the picture.

"They're definitely new. With how much time that's passed it's no small wonder that they've gathered more allies. It would seem this girl is taking center stage for Shigaraki now." He tapped Karma's picture. "She did all the boasting and preaching, while he sat back and enjoyed the show."

"There might be a reason for that." All Might sneered. "During the last attack, Shigaraki was definitely their leader, but he made all kinds of mistakes. He talked too much, bragged on and on about his power, and often lost his temper when things didn't go his way. This new girl seems far more intelligent, and well spoken."

"I agree," Midnight concurred. "From what I saw of the video the common viewer would see her as a follower, someone under the order of Shigaraki. However given we know his previous demeanor it's looking more like she's the one in charge. She's setting a standard for the group, and guiding Shigaraki rather than taking orders from him."

"Oi, oi, oi are we sure about that?" Present Mic scratched his temple. "She looks like she's still a student. Why would the big baddies take orders from her?"

"This is all conjecture." Aizawa set the papers down and crossed his arms again. "We don't have any actual proof she is their new leader. We know little about them especially since they've added new and unfamiliar faces to the group. They have a goal which we thought was to kill All Might, but things have shifted drastically."

"It could just be a ploy to gather sympathizers and/or allies." Midnight suggested.

"That's possible… but I think we should worry about the "whys" later and concentrate on the "whos," "wheres," and "hows." Who are the new allies? Where is their base of operations? How did they manage to capture a hero like Endeavor without fuss or notice?" Tsukauchi tapped a pen to his notebook as he listed off the important questions.

"That last one worries me especially." All Might agreed. "I've known Endeavor since my school days. He's not likely to be taken captive without a fight. According to his family he just left one day on some kind of secret objective then never came back, which isn't like him at all."

"I talked to Todoroki briefly about the matter." Aizawa spoke up. "He said that Endeavor had been trying to recruit Midoriya in order to make good on a bargain they had. When I asked him how he told me it wasn't something he wanted to discuss openly without Midoriya's consent."

"Midoriya?" All Might looked surprised at this, and then pondered something. "Tsukauchi can you contact Endeavor's office again and find out what his last few orders to his sidekicks were?"

"I already have. Before he disappeared he said something similar to his sidekicks that he did to his family. He had an important mission he was working on and that they should continue their regular duties as per norm. Before that one of his sidekicks informed me he had been making calls to coroners and cold case workers in order to reopen an old case."

"Which one?" Aizawa said suddenly, his eyes going sharp.

"Let me see… case 10132-" Tsukauchi trailed off and blinked in surprise. "Wait this is one of my cases."

"Really?" All Might grabbed his shoulder with some hope for a lead. The grievous look on his friends face made that hope turn to dread. "Tsukauchi."

"It's the suspected murder case of one Hiroki Nomura. He was Izumi Midoriya's guardian." Tsukauchi lowered his notebook and then his own head. "It was closed and confirmed that he died of a heart attack. Why would Endeavor ask to reopen such a case?"

"None of us would like the answer to that." Present Mic said with a scowl. "It either means he was trying to dig up dirt on Midoriya in order to get her to cooperate… or he found evidence to prove that Nomura was murdered."

"You're right…" Nezu said with a heavy sigh. "Neither of those conclusions are easy to swallow." He folded his hands. "Endeavor was one of the top heroes in the world. He wouldn't unearth such material without just cause… but from what we found out his way of justice may not have been as wholesome as we once believed. He lived by his own motivations and guidelines, and suffered greatly for it."

"What should we do in this case then?" Midnight looked at Nezu with great worry in her eyes. "This case is the closest thing we've got to a lead."

"What do you suggest, All Might?" Nezu looked up at the Number One hero; a man who always smiled and laughed against adversity. The man wasn't smiling or laughing now. "I know you have a soft spot for Midoriya. You might know her better than any of us do."

"I want to have faith in Little Midori." All Might held his chest. "She's become the best of her class through hard work and determination. She's one of the most gifted young people I've ever met and one of the most tragic. She's been through so much already and I don't like the idea of sifting through her personal life… however!" He stood tall and clenched his fist. "I promised myself I would guide this young girl to the right path. If it's true that she's involved in Endeavor's capture, then I have a responsibility to find out the truth."

"I'm with All Might." Aizawa agreed. "Midoriya is one of my students so I've been keeping a close eye on her. While I can't complain about her grades or performance, both Recovery Girl and I are concerned about her physical health and personal life. She's got scars and wounds in places no ordinary teen should. She's keeping secrets from everyone, including the classmates she's close to. As her teachers and superiors we owe it to her to make sure she's not endangering herself or those around her."

"Alright then, we are all in agreement." Nezu stood up. "We investigate young Midoriya with discretion and care. Even if she's not directly involved in Endeavor's death, we can take pride in knowing we're doing what's right for her."

The whole room gave a nod and spoke in full consensus.

"Agreed."

**~Ask Briry~**

**Briry: Uh-oh The U.A. staff has caught wind of Izumi's suspicious activity. What could this mean for our young villainess? Keep reading to find out!**

**Next Chapter: Allies and Alibis **


	31. Allies and Alibis

**Midori the Villain**

**Chapter 31: Allies and Alibis**

Bakugo wanted to hit something or someone. He'd been pumped up at the aspect of training under one of the top five pro heros and had jumped at the chance. However he hadn't counted on that Todoroki would also choose him which added a layer of annoyance, but to top it off Jean Face was nothing like he'd imagined him to be. The guy insisted on changing every aspect of him from the roots of his hair, to the jeans on his backside. The stupid material was so tight he thought they'd rip in half the moment he bent over.

It was clear to him now he made a colossal mistake choosing this idiotic looks obsessed hero.

"Damn it I want to go home." He slumped forward on the bed, his hair popping back up despite being flat for the majority of the day. "This internship is a huge waste of time."

"If you'd just listen to what he said you might actually learn something, Bakugo." Todoroki sat on the bed next to him, kicking off his inside shoes and snapping free the buttons of his shirt. He touseled his hair free of the slicked back look Best Jeanist had put him in and finally relaxed.

"Don't lecture me, Icy Hot. You're hating this just as much as I am, admit it!" Bakugo pointed an accusing finger at him. He rolled onto his back and did his best to wriggle out of the tight ass jeans. Todoroki stood to help, grabbing the ends and yanking them down. "GAH! Finally I can breathe!" Normally Bakugo would detest the idea of help, but the damn things had been cutting off his circulation.

"The internship only lasts a week. We've got four days left so hang in there alright?" Shoto wiggled out of his own jeans and the two of them sat strangely companionably in their boxers and undershirts.

"Tch, whatever. I hope our classmates are having as lousy time as us." He opened his phone and started texting Kirishima to ask him how his was going. He blinked in surprise when he got a text message from Izumi.

_Wanna blow up some Mass Media jerks for me? _

The text made him smirk.

_What's wrong, Usagi? Not having fun in girlyville? _

Two seconds later her reply came in.

_The next person to take my picture and ask me about my love life is going to get a fist to the face. I'm starting to wish I'd let Todoroki win. _

Shoto had caught the hint of Bakugo's smirk and raised a brow when it turned into a full on gut laugh.

"What's that laugh for?"

"Usagi's not having much fun at her internship either. Serves her right for causing all that fuss at the festival." he tossed his phone aside and lounged back feeling loads better about his situation.

"Oh…" Was all he said and lay on the bed turning his back to Bakugo.

"Oh? That's all you have to say to that?" Bakugo sat up on his elbows. "What the hell happened to the two of you? You were all gooey eyed for her during the Sports Festival. Now all of a sudden you can't stand the sight of her?"

"I don't wanna talk about it, Bakugo." He clenched his fists narrowing his eyes.

"Tch, yeah whatever. If you're that butt hurt about losing-" he started to retort and got a pillow slapped against his face. "OOF!"

"That's got nothing to do with it. So mind your own business!" He put his arms up to block the oncoming pillow attack and he snagged up another, the two of them slamming each other until feathers and fabric covered the room.

"Great… Best Jeanist is gonna kill us for making a mess." Shoto said through exerted pants. He dusted feathers from his hair and slumped back on the bed.

"You started it." Bakugo complained and spit a feather from his lips.

"You got a point I guess." Shoto leaned forward on his knees and put his face in his hands. "My dad… he was poking into Izumi's personal life. I made a stupid bet with him that if he could convince Izumi to intern with him then I'd do the same… but I never imagined he'd go so far as to blackmail her."

"Blackmail?" Bakugo's headshot up at that. "The hell are you talking about?"

"My dad reopened her guardian's heart attack case. He was trying to find any dirt he could to get her to submit to him."

"You're fucking serious? So that's what the two of your were talking about at the train station?" He clenched his teeth when Shoto nodded. He'd had little reaction to the death of Endeavor aside from the usual shock and anger at seeing one of the greatest heroes being taken down by villains. After hearing this he wasn't altogether sure Endeavor was such a good hero after all.

"I apologized to her, but she just laughed about it. She told my dad to go ahead and poke, because she was looking forward to making a fool out of him."

"That sounds like her… or should I say the new her." He pulled one leg up and leaned his chin on it. "So what? Now that he's dead you're pissed at her for saying such a thing?"

"I wouldn't put it like that, but I can't help but feel animosity towards her. When I told her about the bet she laughed about that too, and I made the stupid mistake of confessing my feelings again. She flat out rejected me, told me to stop confessing because it would only hurt me in the end."

"_I swear to god, Todoroki, if you make me break his trust one more time, I'll make you regret it!" _

"I…" Shoto let out a pain filled sigh as he felt the tears burn behind his eyes. "I thought the two of us finally had an understanding of each other. I thought she was starting to accept how I felt… but I was wrong." He strung his fingers through his hair. "She doesn't accept them, or me."

"You're wrong about that…" Bakugo narrowed his eyes. "Usagi knows how you feel and accepts it, but that doesn't mean she wants you acting on it. She's got a boyfriend, and until that crashes and burns she's gonna stay loyal to him."

"How can you be sure about that?" Todoroki turned heartbroken eyes to Bakugo. It tore at him, because Bakugo could see himself in that expression.

"Because she did the same to me." Bakugo clenched his fists, remembering how she had let him kiss and touch her… then shoved him out when he'd gone too far. She made it clear to him that while she was attracted and interested, she wasn't about to just give him what he wanted. She'd made a commitment and was sticking to it until the bitter end.

"Tch," He rolled onto his side turning his back to Todoroki. "Damn Rabbit."

**~Uwabami Agency~**

Tonight was the night. All the planning and preparation had come down to this, and now Izumi was ready for some real action. Sitting in her pajamas with Kendo and Yao the three girls played cards and talked about their experiences of the day.

"I really thought you were gonna hit that reporter, Midoriya." Kendo laughed and set down two cards before taking two more from the top pile. "You looked ready to lash out at any minute."

"That's because these assholes don't know how to mind their own business. Who in the hell asks a fifteen year old student about marriage plans?"

"Well you gotta admit, your fight with Todoroki ended quite interestingly, don't you think so Yao?" Kendo winked and got a blush and nod from her.

"Yes, it looked like Todoroki-san was about to kiss you." Yao set her hand out showing four queens. Kendo grumbled at losing again and tossed her cards down. "It's only natural they're curious."

"We didn't kiss, and all Todoroki did was let down his guard in the middle of a fight." She set down her own hand showing four aces and took the pot. "I've no interest in him or Bakugo, and you know full well why Yao."

"I'm aware you love Shimura-san but-"

"Shimura? Who's he?" Kendo asked looking bright eyed and interested.

"My boyfriend, and not another word Yao." Izumi put a finger to her lips. As if on cue her phone went off and she picked it up. "Speak of the devil. Pardon me while I take this in private."

"Woo woo…" Kendo blew kisses making Yaoyorozu giggle. Izumi laughed in turn and walked out the dorm room… but the smile faded when she answered.

"Is everyone ready?"

"At your command, my queen." Kurogiri spoke through the speaker. Izumi slipped away to a washroom she'd selected ahead of time knowing she wouldn't be disturbed or monitored there. Once alone she pressed the button on her wrist device and Kurogiri's portal opened. Toga stepped through grinning at her.

"Hello Queeny." Toga set Izumi's villain costume down both girls stripped down to nothing.

"I'm counting on you to remain in character Toga." Naked Izumi stepped towards her and tugged Toga's twintails free so that the blonde locks slipped down over her shoulders. "Do a good job, and I'll bring you a present."

"Yay…" Toga giggled and nuzzled up on Izumi's neck before sinking her fangs into the shoulder. Izumi winced a little but held her there, letting her drink a fair amount. Their breasts pressed firm together, and Izumi couldn't help but moan a little as Toga's hot tongue lapped at the left over blood that oozed from the wound.

She slowly pulled back, her body shrinking and changing to match Izumi's form so the two of them were now identical. Toga put on the pajamas and slipped Izumi's phone into her pocket.

"Well then, say hi to Mr. Stainy for me." Toga waved and hummed as she walked out to join the girls again. Izumi in turn changed into her costume and slipped her mask into place walking through the mist of Kurogiri's warp.

**~Hosu~**

"You're late." Stain complained as Izumi and Shigaraki warped through the gate.

"My apologies, unlike you I have a social life to maintain." Izumi approached and crouched beside him. Her eyes scanned the crowd of people looking for costumes. "Which one is our target?"

"There…" Stain pointed his sword towards a sliver of road and a figure slinking through.

"Kurogiri…" Izumi held out her hand and Kurogiri dropped a set of night vision gogggles into them. She scanned through the alley and found the man in question. "Native?"

"Ah… that's the one." He lets his tongue hang out as the blood lust oozed out a little.

"What's he doing in Hosu? Native is a forest rescue specialist." She zoomed in a little to get a good look at Native's face. His eyes were stern and narrowed on the surroundings.

"Looking for him I imagine," Tomura pointed down at Stain. "He's a high priority villain now, and after Ingenium's attack the hero populace has increased to make up for the loss. Many heroes outside of the norm are patrolling the streets."

"Glory hunting…" Izumi scoffed. "Figures." She sets the goggles down and pulls her mask back into place. She adjusts the mic on the mouth piece and speaks into it a few times for test to make sure her voice became warped and unrecognizable. "Okay, so what's the plan?"

"This city is rotting, in order to rid the world of it, blood must be spilled." Stain held out his hands, opening them out as if to welcome the world's animosity towards him. "Hero is a title of someone who's accomplished great deeds. This city is full of false champions who care about nothing but money and fame. Until the world realizes its mistakes, I will continue my work!"

"Sounds like fun…" Izumi smirked behind her mask and glanced back at Tomura. "Don't wait up."

"Shouldn't take you long. Native's quirk is in detection and not combat." Tomura set a hand on her shoulder. "Should be easy pickings."

"Maybe, but with so many heroes in the area it's better to be safe than sorry. Why don't you cause a small distraction and gain their attention?" She tapped her temple and turned around. "Go have some fun." She falls backwards flipping off the building and landing like a cat on all fours before running after Stain.

"Oh my did you hear that?" Tomura laughed. "Karma's actually giving me permission to enjoy myself."

"What did you have in mind?" Kurogiri's shadowed face showed amusement.

"Let's throw a party…" He gave Kurogiri a knowing look before turning towards the setting sun and the shadows that cast with it. Behind him Kurogiri's warp opened up and Nomu's stepped through ready to take orders. "The city will be our guests, and I'll provide the entertainment."

**~Meanwhile~**

The few days of his internship had been uneventful. While he did his best to learn from Manual's experience in the field, Iida couldn't help but feel he'd made a mistake coming here. His goal had been to gather information and track down Stain. He wanted to avenge his brother and bring the filthy criminal to justice… but Stain refused to appear.

What was the point of limiting his prospects if he couldn't accomplish his goal? Why did he have to continue to suffer with all this anger and frustration with no outlet to furnish it on.

Where are you, Iida asked in his mind, his eyes a bit crazed behind his steel helmet. Where are you hiding, Hero Killer?

The loud explosion erupted and shook the ground. Pedestrian and heroes alike gasped and jerked their heads up in the direction of the ruckus. Manual pressed a hand to his ear trying to get in contact with his sidekicks.

"What's happened? Monsters? Alright we'll be right there." He looked to Iida. "It's in the heart of the city! Let's run!" Manual lead the way, Iida jogging after him, but his mind was still focused on the hero killer.

That mass murderer would never be so flashy… Where-

His thoughts stopped when he spotted a shadow moving along an alley wall. He jerked to a stop and saw two separate silhouettes slinking down into the dark. Who would be slumming it at a time like this? Could it really be him?

Before he could stop himself Iida was already running after the figures in question.

**~Karma and Stain~**

"You're rushing the target." Stain criticized, Karma already had Native pinned to the ground, her whip around his neck.

"No you're just slow." She retorted and tightened the grip. The next explosion had both their heads jerking up and Stain clucked his tongue in disapproval. "Sorry, that was my fault. I told him to cause a distraction, but it sounds like he's getting a bit carried away."

"That's what happens when you free a rabbid dog from his leash." Stain yanked Native up by his hair and stabbed his shoulder to draw blood. "Let him go, he's not going anywhere."

"Your quarry, your kill…" She got off him and neatly coiled her whip back up. "I'm just a spectator really."

"I haven't decided to kill him yet…" Stain told her holding Native to the wall by pushing his hand up on his face.

"I can't move… damn it…" Native grunted against Stain's sweaty palm. His eyes darted from him then to the girl. "You… you were with the league of villains. So you're in this together huh? Curse you both! I'll kill you!"

Karma watched Stain's eyes go cold and the shine of his katana flicker in the dim light when he shifted into killing stance.

"If you were really a hero, you should have chosen your last words more carefully."

So that was it, Karma thought with a curious look. It wasn't so much of choosing a target that was for sure a fake, but a target of convenience. He didn't choose an opponent based on their background or actions as she once believed. He took on opponents that lingered in his ideal backdrop, in alleys or narrow streets where the light was dim and witnesses few. Whatever hero approached him would be judged on the spot… if they passed they lived, if they failed they died.

Somehow knowing that made his actions seem far less noble and more… pitiful.

Movement caught her eye and Karma barely had time to jump out of the way as Iida came barreling down the alley, his leg braced to attack. With a swift strike of his blade Stain sent Iida falling back, his helmet skittering across the ground.

For a moment that lasted longer than Karma would have liked she reverted to Izumi. Her eyes went soft and shocked watching as her friend and classmate appeared so suddenly looking enraged and thirsty for vengeance.

I'd forgotten he was interning in Hosi. Damn it Iida! Why are you being such an idiot? I knew you were hungry for revenge but I didn't think you'd go this far.

"I am the brother of an incredible hero who you attacked!" Iida slowly got to his feet despite having Stain's katana pointed straight at him. "He's the best older brother anyone could ask for. I've come to stop you because he can't anymore!"

Izumi clenched her fists and grit her teeth. This idiot was going to get himself killed. Could he not see he was severely outmatched? Stain may be slower than him, but the guy wielded sharp weapons and was highly proficient in them. Iida only had his arms and legs to battle with. The moment Stain drew blood it would be all over.

"I am Ingenium! I will defeat you! That I promise!" Iida proclaimed boldly and Izumi couldn't stomach his stupidity any longer. She stepped from the shadows she'd hidden in and lashed out her whip, snagging him around the neck and yanking him back down to his feet.

"No, what you are is a fool." She stepped on his head and looked up at Stain. "Ignore the child, Stain, and finish what you started."

Iida struggled against the whip holding his throat as Izumi continued to deny him air supply. She grinded her heel in harder.

"Stop moving or I'll have to hurt you." She whispered to him. She flinched only a little when Native let out a screaming plea before having Stain's sword cut his throat and bleed profusely. Iida suddenly went still and his eyes widened in horror at the sight. "Are we done?"

"Not quite." Stain stabbed Iida's leg and Izumi's eyes widened.

"Was that really necessary?" She made a sickened face as he licked the fresh blood from the blade. "I had him pinned, there was no need for that."

"Oh but there is…" Stain stood up straight. "You saw how I've hunted. Now it's your turn."

"Excuse me?" Since it was no longer needed Izumi retracted her whip and coiled it into her palm.

"You want me to join your group because we share ideals., but unless you're willing to remove the scum from this world there's no way we'll be able to work systematically." Stain removed a dagger from his belt. He flipped the blade hilt out and offered it to her. "Show me your resolve."

She eyed the dagger and crossed her arms.

"You want me to kill the kid? I may share your ideals but I'm not like you. I punish those that have done wrong, and only kill those that deserve it."

"Have you not been paying attention? His eyes are filled with vengeance and he uses his brother's hero name to justify his malicious actions. Those are hardly actions of a true hero, and deserve punishment."

"I agree he deserves punishment for his idiotic actions… but I don't kill people for being stupid." She reiterated. "I'll come up with a servisable punishment and leave the killing of innocents to true criminals."

"He's hardly innocent. His actions are the seeds of contempt." Stain pointed out. "If you don't kill him now, you'll just have to do it later when he lashes out again. A person cannot change their nature."

"I disagree. What's the point in lecturing and preaching to the world if it's incapable of changing?" She turned her head away, spotting her reflection in the shards of a broken mirror leaning on a trashcan. The sight of herself was both frightening and enlightening. She was living proof that people could change, and drastically. "Adults may not be able to change their nature, but children are still growing, still learning, and are constantly changing their persona trying to figure out who they are and what they want in life." Her eyes shifted back. She met Stain's cold killer eyes with a steely stare. "If we kill him now he won't learn, and if the young generation don't learn then the world will remain dumb and blind to its problems."

"Is that your final decision?" He flipped the blade back over so it pointed at Karma.

"Yes, that's my decision." She shifted her stance so that it mirrored his. The tension grew thick, and Izumi felt the oncoming conflict. "Do you disagree with it?"

"I don't think him being a kid has anything to do with your reasoning. You want me to spare him because you have some kind of personal connection, don't you?" He watched Izumi's eyes flicker with momentary panic. "I'm right aren't I?"

"Your opinion is irrelevant to me." She retorted and sharpened her gaze again. "I told you my reasons. If you insist on killing this boy I will stop you by any means necessary, so I suggest you focus on your next quarry and not on a whimpering little boy."

"You're questioning my methods when it's you that straddles the line of good and evil. Your lack of commitment to your own cause will be your downfall. I won't let it become mine." He unsheathed another dagger and let his tongue slide out as the bloodlust inside him grew. "Die!"

He leapt at her and Karma acted on instinct. Her whip came up at the impossible straight angle and slice through Stain's protruding tongue. The wriggling muscle landed right by Iida's face and he lay watching it with wide eyed horror. Stain barely missed her stumbling behind and holding his bloodied mouth. Karma quickly whirled around, her heart beating fast and even skipping at the rush of adrenaline. She hadn't been sure she'd be able to hit him in time, but her instincts had improved tremendously and their previous encounter made her aware of his speed and reflexes.

"Good grief you're a piece of work." She grit her teeth snarling at him. "You took no time at all turning me into your quarry and I can't have that. I was wrong about you. Your method of selecting victims is pathetic and not at all right for my organization. Your theories may have value, but your actions are miniscule and won't help me in changing the world." Karma flexed out her whip the rope dancing around her sinuously like a snake. Stain looked at her, his eyes wild as blood pooled into his hand and down on the ground. "You're a tenacious man, Stain, but that tenacity is misplaced."

"You…" Iida struggled to speak as he looked tearily up at this villainess. Karma spared him the briefest of glances and turned up her nose at him as if he weren't worth her time.

"Any last words, Stain?" She held out the stock of her whip in threat. She smirked when Stain tried to curse and criticize but only succeeded in choking on his own blood. "Aww what's the matter, Hero Killer?" She crouched and picked up the dismembered tongue. "Karma got your tongue?"

She grinned wide when Stain's eyes went wild. Despite choking on his own blood he rushed her, both his blades out ready to strike her down. Her whip lashed and whirled around, the movement chaotic and not at all normal for a traditional lashing weapon. The chaotic movement caught Stain off guard, and sliced him up in three neat pieces; head, torso and limbs.

"That's four," she murmured in reference to her own body count. "How many more will need to pile up before I too will need punishment?" She sighed heavily and glanced down when Iida made grunting sounds. "Stain's quirk should be removed now, but I wouldn't move just yet, Tenya Iida."

"Huh?" Iida braced himself up on his elbows to eye her. "How do you know my name?"

"You're the younger brother of Ingenium aren't you?" She crouched down folding her arms around her legs to keep her skirt down. "It doesn't take a scientist to figure that out." She reached out stroking his hair away from his sweaty face. "You should be grateful… I spared your life and kept you from staining your hands with blood."

"He was mine to defeat! Why did you kill him?" Iida yelled at her in accusation.

"He tried to kill me first, or were you not paying attention?" She let him go and stood up smoothing her skirts out. She watched him fight to stand upright, but the wound to his leg made it difficult. "Besides what's it to you if my hands become a little more crimson then before?"

"You truly are a villain! First you kill Endeavor who is one of the greatest heroes in the world, and now you kill Stain who was supposed to be your ally! You lecture the world about decency and truth, but you're just as bad as the people you target, You're a hypocritical psychopath!" Iida choked as the whip caught him around the throat and yanked him back down to the ground. He felt Karma grinding her heel into his back and he grit his teeth against the pain and sensation of asphyxiation.

"I'm a psycopath? HA!" She laughed and growled with irritation and frustration. "Who was it that came barelling down this alley with murder in his eyes?"

"I am a hero! It's my job to strike down villains and-" He gagged when she increased the pressure again.

"Hero!? Are you fucking kidding me? Your actions were nothing heroic. Look at him!" Izumi forced him to look at Native's dead body. She growled low in her throat feeling her emotions swell. "Heroes are supposed to help and save people. If you were really a hero then he should have been your top priority, but you didn't even acknowledge him until he was already dead. So don't you dare lecture me on morals when you can't even follow your own!"

Iida gasped as the whip loosened and he coughed staring at Native's white and lifeless face. Tears fell down his cheeks as the guilt and truth slapped him in the face.

"Why did you help kill him? Why are you lecturing me about heroics when you can't follow the rules yourself?" Iida choked out and stare down at the ground so he wouldn't have to face his own failure

"I know who and what I am Tenya Iida which is more than I can say for you." She rummaged his pocket and pulled his phone from his pants. "I'm a villain, no amount of good deeds or mercy can erase what I've done and in time I too will be punished for my actions." She searched through his contacts until she found Manual's number. "...but that doesn't mean a damn to me. The only thing I've ever wanted in life was to help people. I wanted to be the kind of person who could change the world and make it a better place. Heroes are only capable of so much. They're limited and glorify what little they do as true heroics when in reality that's not the case."

"I don't understand." Iida rolled so he sat upright, his back braced on the wall. He watched Izumi text some kind of message on his phone then tossed it in his lap. "Are you saying that heroes aren't the good guys? That's ridiculous."

"There is no good or bad in life, Tenya Iida." She strut to Stain's corpse and stair down at the head. "As fun as playing the game of Life is there is no black and white in reality. Just because you play one side of the board, doesn't make the opposing side your enemy. The world is full of greys… people who lie, cheat, kill, and dishonor so that others won't have to… and there are those who do bad deeds, but long for the goodness of love, kindness, and friendship because they never had the opportunity to before."

She took up one of Stain's daggers, eying its sharp edges with a meticulous stare. She then grabbed Stain's head by the hair, and held it up to stare into his eyes. She had promised Toga a gift should she play her role right. She hoped this would please her.

"My goal is to create a world where both sides are acknowledged. I want a world where people aren't so blinded by the good deeds of a hero, or completely fear the dark impulses of a villain's heart. I will open their eyes to the truth, and that the world is full of grey. Anyone is capable of anything; there are no labels, no cliches, or cliques. There's only different personalities, circumstances, and quirks. Treat everyone equally with the same goodwill or animosity and the hate and vengeance in people's hearts will fade. I will be the example by punishing those that have done wrong, and reward those that have done right. Since you have done wrong, Tenya Iida, I'll have to punish you just as I would anyone else."

"What gives you the right to choose what is right and wrong?" Iida grit his teeth when she walked back to him with Stain's dagger in hand. For a brief moment he believed she might really kill him, but her continued to question anyway. "Who are you to make those kinds of decisions?"

Instead of responding to him she cut open the sleeves of his shirt and straps of his armor until his skin was exposed. She then carved something into his arm making his cry out in pain and shove at her.

His cries of pain alerted the nearby heroes to his exact location. Manual shouted his name and rushed down the alley to find Iida whimpering and holding his left arm that now bleeded and burned.

"Tenya! I got your text what happened?" Manual looked around his eyes horrified at the sight of Native's dead body and stain's dismembered one. "What in the- Who did this?"

"She did…" Iida said through gritted teeth, tears spilling down his eyes as he lifted his hand and revealed what his assailant had carved into his arm. "Karma."

_**~Ask Briry~**_

_**Briry: I'm not sure how you guys are gonna respond to this chapter but just in case… *ducks and covers from any hate mail* I HAVE NO REGRETS!**_

_**Next Chapter: Evidentiary Support**_


	32. Evidentiary Support

**Midori the Villain **

**Chapter 32: Evidentiary Support**

"_Now back to our top story. All hell broke loose in Hosu City last night when the League of Villains attacked the center of the city. Many pedestrians were caught up in the destruction but the actions of the heroes controlled the chaos that ensued and saved many lives. During the attack The Hero known as Native, and The Hero Killer, Stain were both murdered by one of the members of the League of Villains known now to the world as "Karma." _

"Hey Queen," Twice called for Izumi who locked herself up in the bathroom with the water running. "You're on T.V."

"Leave her alone, Twice." Dabi said with a hardened stare. "She's trying to come down from the high and your praise isn't helping."

"Hah? I wasn't praising." Twice waved his hand in denial but then gave a thumbs up. "She's just awesome!"

"Will you two shut up with the banter." Tomura turned the volume up. The Reporter that stood in front of the alley where they found the bodies. "I can't hear what they're saying."

"_There's been no official statements from the police, but there's been speculation about the League of Villains overall goal. According to eye witness Tenya Iida, a U.A. student interning with the hero Manual, the two villains had been collaborating in the attack on Native but a difference in morals had Stain turning on Karma. The young woman killed the Hero Killer and spared the young hero in training leaving him with only minor injuries before leaving the premises. Shortly thereafter the monsters vanished and all signs of the attackers with them." _

"Tch," Tomura clicked his tongue. "I wanted kill at least one hero before calling the Nomus back, but Karma insisted on retreating for the day."

"The damage was done, Stain was dead." Dabi shrugged. "Had we stayed any longer the heroes would have just gathered allies and probably destroyed the Nomus."

"The real question is now…" Kurogiri kept his eyes and ears trained on the screen. "What does the world think of us now that we've eliminated heroes and villains alike?"

"_While it's unclear why Karma chose to spare Tenya, what we can be sure of is that the league is dangerous." Manual told reporters looking stern and grim. "With their motives and goals so chaotic and unclear no one should consider themselves safe in their presence. I implore all civilians if you have any information on the League please notify your local Pro Heroes immediately."_

Tomura turned the T.V. off with a short laugh.

"There you have it. Chaos and confusion… it's freaking perfect."

"How is this perfect?" Dabi stuffed his hands in his pockets. "The goal was to align ourselves with Stain, but now that Karma has killed him no one knows what our motivation is and that's a problem."

"Is it?" Tomura stood up and pat the top of the T.V. "I think it's exactly the kind of reaction we were looking for. We're not heroes or vigilantes looking to seem noble or just in our actions. We're here to change the world, turn it on its head so that no one knows what's up and what's down. Karma's a fucking genius."

Dabi scowled and glanced back at the bathroom door. He wasn't sure the queen shared her King's sentiments.

**~Izumi~**

_SHIT SHIT SHIT!_

Izumi ran the water hot over her body, staring at her hands unable to get the sight of Iida's blood and traumatized expression out of her face.

What in the hell had she done?

Her plan of giving her team of villains structure and cause had failed spectacularly. Her motivations and Tomura's clashed at such a finite level that it was causing chaos and that wasn't the plan. She wanted to SAVE Tomura, she wanted to show him that there were people in this world that could understand him, befriend him, and support him in his endeavors. Just what sort of people would she bring under the league's wing if she was showing off nothing but chaos and confusion?

"Nobody good…" she decided and turned off the water. She sighed heavily and sat naked in the tub letting the heat escape and the cold return to her bones. She had to get up, had to get ready to return as "Izumi" but she was finding it hard to motivate herself to move. "I knew I'd dug myself in far too deep but just how much blood do I have to spill before I'm satisfied?"

She was suddenly reminded of Tomura's lesson back when she was still coming into villainy. It was like your first taste of wine… sip at it, savor it, and decide if you want another. Drink too fast, too greedily, and it would blind all your other senses. She couldn't afford to get sloppy.

It was Tomura, she decided, who would have to be reprimanded. She told him to cause a small distraction, but he'd gotten carried away. His need for violence and bloodshed needed to be tamed. If she just let him do what he wanted, then she was just as bad as Sensei, and that would defeat the purpose of her killing the bastard in the first place.

"Alright…" motivated now she stood up and rolled her shoulder. "This isn't gonna be pretty, but love rarely is." She dried off and put a robe on slipping out of the bathroom, her hair damp and body posing provocatively against the frame of the bathroom. "Excuse me boys."

All heads turned, and expressions varied at the sight of her. Kurogiri immediately averted his gaze away, Twice started holding his fingers out like a camera and took mental pictures making her smile. Dabi remained stoic, but she saw the look of lust and hunger in those blue eyes… she was tempted to accommodate him, but her sight was focused on Tomura who grinned wickedly at her.

"Excuse me boys, but could you give me some alone time with the King." She toyed with her belt. "We've business to discuss."

"Okay!" Twice saluted but the immediately complained."Business my ass…" He strut to Kurogiri who opened his warp letting the group fall in. Dabi took a glance back and Izumi pressed a finger to her lips winking at him. The sight of it made him smirk and he walked into the warp with a clear image of what was about to happen.

Once alone Tomura lounged on the couch, his arms thrown over the back and legs spread out in waiting. Izumi slowly made her way over, her fingers still playing with the belt.

"You must be feeling pretty good about yourself, having rid the world of a false hero and a noisy preacher." Tomura licked his lips and tilted his head up when Izumi straddled him, those large firm breasts pressed up tight on his chest. "Want to celebrate?"

"Tell me something, My King…" She stroked his face, her lips dancing over his, not quite touching and their breath mixing together. "Do you consider our operation last night successful?"

"Immensely…" He untied the belt of her robe and spread open the fabric. Since his focus was on the soft warm body, he didn't see the vindictive glint in Izumi's eyes. "We rocked the world just as we said we would."

"You think so?" The belt floated and came around Tomura's neck. Before he could realize what was happening the fabric squeezed and tightened and he choked on air scratching at his throat and looking at her wide eyed. "What exactly was so successful? We may have made headlines, but what kind of crazed maniacs are going to join us now that you've opened the door to chaos and confusion? What sort of intelligent and reasonable villains am I going to convince to join us if I just killed off one of our supposed allies? Do you realize how I felt having to carve my name and purpose into a classmate I respected and had a kinship with? You foolish king!"

She grabbed his face making him look her straight in the eyes.

"I trusted you to have my back, to play distraction, and you went and got carried away. Blowing up buildings and tossing pedestrians around like they were rag dolls is not the right way to gain attention Tomura. You should have been smarter. You should have tried a little bit harder to see past your lust for death and destruction and see what I was really trying to accomplish. Instead you just did what you want like you've always done, and I'm sick of it!" She let him go and he coughed and held his throat looking at her with wild and angered eyes. "You did what you did, and there's nothing I can do about it now. I'll pick up the pieces you've shattered, but you'd best learn from this mistake."

"The hell do you think you're talking to you little…" He raised his hand to strike her but Izumi snagged it and shocked him.

"Oh no you don't! You don't get to hit me this time, Tomura, because I'm not the one at fault! Stain questioned my motivations and my resolve because you went and made a nuisance of yourself! Because of that I had to make decisions I didn't want to, and that's not going to happen again. I'm not Sensei, I'm not just going to let you run wild and have your way! You're going to learn to be smarter, Tomura… otherwise both of us are going to wind up either dead or in prison!"

"I am KING! What right do you have to give ME orders?"

"THAT'S RIGHT YOU'RE KING!" She shouted back at him and smacked her hands on his cheeks then forced him to look at her again. "So be a SMART King. Think, plan, strategize, and own your power the RIGHT way. If you just go around waving your crown around like a toy then you're just gonna wind up losing it."

He yanked away from her cursing and paced the room. He started scratching at his neck and it ached at her insides to see him so riled up and off his hinges. She slipped her robe all the way off and walked back to him. She wrapped him up in her quirk and removed layers of his clothes until they stood naked and embraced.

"I know it's frustrating, but you need to have patience. Gaining a following, making a statement, and forcing others to see it takes time and careful planning. If we make a misstep then we're going to lose. I don't want to lose Tomura, I don't want to be separated from you or the legacy we're building together." She stroked his face and looked lovingly into his eyes. "My mind is your tool… but if you don't how to use it then I'll be useless to you. So I'm begging you… learn to wield me properly, listen to my advice. Please, My King?"

"You strangled me…" he murmured on her lips even as the fight died from his tone and eyes.

"I was angry…" she gently brushed the fading bruises on her own neck. "You know what that feels like don't you?"

"Bitch…" he cursed at her affectionately and nipped on her neck. "Don't you dare tell the others that you reprimanded me. I'll never hear the end of it."

"My lips are sealed." She guided him back to the couch and soothed his ego and pride by letting him take control of her body.

**~Police Station~**

"How much trouble is Young Iida in?" All Might asked with a grim expression.

"Under normal circumstances the committee would ask that he be expelled from U.A. but considering he is the soul witness to the events they'd like to keep his punishment mild at best. He's to serve extra remedial classes, and serve detention after school. He's also under house arrest, and to be chaperoned back and forth from school. They want to make sure the league doesn't target him and remove their key witness." Nezu explained.

"I see, I suppose it could be worse for him then." All Might rubbed his arm in some mild sympathy. "It's curious that this Karma character decided to spare him in the first place. From their reputation I didn't think killing students would be past their moral code."

"The league of villains doesn't have a moral code. What they have is controlled chaos.." Aizawa sniffed with his arms folded. "Karma sounds like the only one who has any kind of code, but her comrades are clearly hungry for destruction… which begs the question: is she really is their new leader?"

"Good point." Nezu rubbed his chin. "She is very young, and if she is their leader then she's only been one for a short amount of time. It could be she's still trying to figure out how to control the wild strings of her organization."

"At any rate…" Present Mic said with a sigh and tossed papers in the air. "My theory went down the toilet. Since we made all this big fuss about Midoriya being involved I had my suspicions that she IS Karma." He slumped into a chair. "But the girl has been with Uwabami since the internship started. On top of that she's got Yaoyorozu and Kendo from class B there with her which makes it highly unlikely she'd be able to skip out and make an attack on Hosu."

"Even if she's not an official member of the League of Villains, I'm still convinced she's got some kind of connection with them." Aizawa said with a narrowed gaze. He kept thinking back to the USJ attack, and how keen Tomura had been on her. He'd also obeyed her plea to leave, when he could have just easily killed her and attacked All Might once again. "There's too many coincidences and suspicious activity for me to just ignore it."

"Well you heard the coroner, unless you want him to go through every test in the book all signs of the guy's death indicate heart attack. Video cameras showed Endeavor leaving the premises of her apartment building alive and well, and Midoriya was at school like the rest of them when his murder was displayed so what other angle could we possibly look into?"

"How much do we know about her private life?" Aizawa looked around at the teachers and they remained quiet. "That's what I thought, we know next to nothing. Until we explore every possible angle I'm not gonna feel satisfied moving on. She's my student, and I want to rid every chance of her being caught up in it."

"Well I ran her financials… for the most part she's not a very big spender, but a lot of her money has been going to two different accounts." Tsukauchi pulled up a file. "She's been donating to the "Happy home for underprivileged kids" a charity lead by one Nomura's companies, and the other is to one "Doctor Kyo Nakahara."

"The surgeon?" All Might questioned. "Recovery Girl did say Izumi had her own private doctor. Perhaps this is the guy who's been treating her away from school."

"That's it." Aizawa stood up straight. "That's our angle, we should talk to him, see what he knows."

"Alright, I'll get a squad together and-" Tsukauchi started but Aizawa shook his head.

"No, You, All Might, and I will go talk to him. It's better if he doesn't know we're coming. If he knows about Izumi's connection then it's possible he's connected as well and we don't want to give him time to warn Izumi or the league that we're poking around." Aizawa looked to Nezu who nodded in agreement.

"Very well, it goes against protocol, but heroes have their own method of doing things as I've found out." Tsukauchi smiled. "I'll follow your lead."

**~Uwabami's Agency~**

Izumi and Toga switched back with little trouble. The gift Izumi had presented her had brought a wide grin to her face and oodles of affection. Izumi wasn't sure if Toga would have appreciated that she'd stolen the kill she'd wanted for herself, but the wide smile and adoration in her eyes made the headache that followed last night's events all worth it.

After a brief summarization of what had happened in her absence Izumi returned to her normal self and blended back in as if she'd never left. Uwabami finally took them out on patrol, roaming the streets of Tokyo with hoardes of fans and reporters flocking around them.

"How the hell are we supposed to do our job when we're bombarded like this?" Izumi wondered aloud and had Yaoyorozu laughing nervously.

"Well I suppose just being out on the streets and making an appearance is enough to put people's minds at ease." She theorized.

"Yeah," Kendo agreed. "It let's people know that if villains do attack then we're on the job."

"Are we really?" Izumi scowled and hugged herself. "Smart villains know how not to get caught, and they know what areas to strike and stay away from. Being exposed and out in the open like this is hardly beneficial."

"Being a hero is more than just being able to stop the bad guys Izumi. It's about protecting people, and letting people know everything's gonna be alright."

A false sense of security, Izumi thought with a scowl. If everyone believed that they were safe then how would they react if a random villain came up and suddenly started hacking people right and left. People would panic, scream, and run around not knowing what to do. Some would run, and they would be smart. Some would hide and pray for the heroes to show up and save them, but would the heroes arrive in time?

Izumi thought of her mother, and wondered how she had felt being caught in a burning building, injured and helpless, praying for someone to come save her. She grit her teeth and shut her eyes. If she'd had help, if the people that had been keeping the fire in check hadn't waited for the heroes and instead had helped save her then maybe she would have lived.

"Hey you're Izumi Midoriya aren't you!" a little voice spoke up behind her and Izumi turned around to face the group of kids. The little girl that had spoken up bounced on her toes looking bright eyed and happy. "You won the sports festival that I watched with my mommy on T.V! You were amazing!"

Izumi eyed the girl seeing much of herself and the way things used to be. She crouched down and offered a soft smile.

"Thanks… what's your name?"

"My name is Hana." She held out her notebook and pen. "Can I have your autograph, please?"

"Sure…" Izumi took the pen and paper and flipped to a clear page.

"When I grow up I wanna be a hero just like you, Izumi."

The pen stopped at her words, Izumi looked at the signature she started to write and saw she'd put KARMA across the pad in big bold strokes. It reminded her of how she'd carved that same initial into Iida's skin, listening to him scream and pleaded for her to stop.

"I'm not a hero…" she whispered and crumpled the paper she'd just signed. She couldn't bring herself to write out her hero name and instead quickly scribbled her real name before handing the notepad back at her. "Trust me, you don't wanna be like me, Hana-chan."

"Eh?" She clutched the notebook to her chest like a prized possession. "Why not? You're so strong, and brave, and nice."

"You shouldn't idolize other people, Hana-chan, because most of us all wear masks hiding who we truly are inside." She rubbed the top of her head and stood up hanging her head in shame. "If you saw what I was really like on the inside. You wouldn't want to be anything like me."

"Midoriya-san." Yaoyorozu touched her shoulder. She had been appeasing some of the other children that had crowded around them, but had immediately taken notice of Izumi's expression. "Are you alright? You look very pale all of a sudden."

"Yeah, I just…" she held her mouth feeling sickness. "I need a minute. I'm going to the bathroom." She hurried off racing to the nearest store and closed herself off in the bathroom. She tossed her cookies and held her stomach shaking violently as realization hit her like a freight train.

"I shouldn't be here…" She held her head and let the tears fall. "I don't belong here."

**~Nakahara's Hospital~**

The last thing Kyo Nakahara expected to do today was be interrogated in his own office. The detective and the two pro heroes had cornered him without giving him much chance to react or prepare for the onslaught of questions.

"I don't see what possible reason you could have for suspecting Izumi of murder. She's a student at your school All Might, a pro hero in training. I would think you all would know what she's capable of."

"We do, and that's precisely why we're worried." Aizawa scowled. "I've seen Midoriya at her best and at her worst and the line between the two is razor thin."

"Izumi Midoriya is the kindest, and most generous person I've ever met. From what I've seen she has only ever used her resources for the good of others and not personal gain." Nakahara fisted his hands together thinking of his wife and daughter. "If it wasn't for her my wife and daughter would be dead… but thanks to her generosity I've got the equipment and finances that put them onto the road of recovery."

"How did you meet Midoriya in the first place?"

"One of my colleagues was a friend of Nomura's. When he died Izumi had heard of my troubles from him and contacted me directly. The only thing she asked in return was for me to make the occasional house call."

"So you know of her bodily health… do you know how she acquired those wounds?"

Nakahara narrowed his eyes and his hands fisted tighter together.

"That's privileged information, Eraserhead, and I'm not at liberty to discuss that knowledge with you."

"Doctor Nakahara, please don't misunderstand our motivations." All Might insisted and stepped forward. "I have the utmost faith in Young Midoriya. I think she has a bright future as a young hero, but Endeavor's accusations against her, and her personal health are raising concerns and questions. I don't want anything to stop her from achieving her goal of becoming a pro hero."

Nakahara relaxed some and he lowered his head. What should he do? What could he do? If he betrayed the league he would more than surely lose his funding and be killed by the league in vengeance…

… but he'd seen the damage in Hosu. He'd seen the destruction and chaos they'd left in their wake and wondered what would happen if Izumi continued to associate herself with Tomura and his gang of delinquent scum.

"I don't believe Izumi is capable of murder… but I know someone else who might be." He lifted his head up and prayed Izumi would forgive him for what he was about to do. "I've only met him a handful of times, but I can tell you he's the reason Izumi carries so many scars. If she is entangled in anything dirty then I'm positive it's all his doing. She's innocent, he's not. Take him out of the picture, and Izumi will be saved."

"What's his name?" Tsukauchi prepared his notebook.

"She calls him several names, but..." He opened his desk drawer and rummages through it. He pulled out a thick envelope and slides it across the table. Inside was Izumi's treatment papers and pictures he'd taken of the wounds Tomura had inflicted."...the one I have on file is Tenko Shimura."

**~Ask Briry~**

**Briry: We're reaching the climax of our story. I will have a sequel in the works but I'll be finishing some of my other fics before I even get started on that. I hope you'll look forward to it. **

**Next Chapter: The Fall of a Hero**


	33. Fall of a Hero

**Midori the Villain**

**Chapter 33: Fall of a Hero**

"Tenko Shimura, huh?" Gran Torino sighed over the phone. "There is such a child. He's her grandson but I was under the impression he died with the rest of the family."

"I see… so it wasn't just a coincidence." All Might held his chest and slowly sat down.

"Oi, Toshinori…" Gran Torino scolded. "Don't lose your nerve. If the boy is as bad as the Doctor is claiming then you can't look at him any different than you would another villain. The same goes for this Izumi Midoriya."

"I understand, but Little Midori is-" All Might tried to defend his young pupil but Torino cut him off with a swift clearing of his throat.

"Toshinori! If she's involved in something as dangerous as murder then you can't just take it with a grain of salt. You have to accept that there is a legit possibility that she's not as innocent as she appears." Torino scolded. "That girl has a darkness inside her, I saw it when I watched the sports festival. She struggles between her heroic behavior and her desperate desire to win. Those kind of personality clashes are dangerous and manipulative, so be wary."

"Yes sir." All Might hung his head. He didn't want to believe it of Midoriya. He wanted to have faith in the girl, not just because he trusted her with his secret, but because he saw the true hero that was hidden behind all that dark desire. She had a hunger to win that was sure… but underneath it was a genuine need to help others. In the end that need will help her make the right decision, he was sure. "I'll do what needs to be done, no matter what."

**~Monday Morning~**

Izumi returned to class on Monday morning as if nothing happened. She did her best to put up a smile and goof off with friends, but she knew that day when the girl had asked for her autograph that her days of pretending to be a hero were almost over. She couldn't keep lying to herself or to the friends and classmates she'd come to care about.

Standing in this room with all the familiar faces, watching them smile, laugh, and exchange stories made her desperately wish to belong… but it was all a dream, and soon she'd have to wake up and face reality.

She eyed Iida across the room, his arm bandaged under his clothes and eyes surprisingly calm. She wondered if the horrific events had given him some kind of epiphany, or if he was taking Karma's advice about his heroic behavior to heart. Either way she hoped he took something away from the experience. She'd hate to know that she'd punished him only for him to repeat his idiotic mistakes.

"How are you feeling, Midoriya-san?" Yaoyorozu asked her suddenly and snapped her attention back.

"Hmmm?" She glanced back at her and offered a small smile. "I'm okay."

"Are you sure? You haven't quite been yourself lately." She crouched down and touched her hand. "You can tell me if something's bothering you. Is Shimura-san causing problems? Did he-"

"Tenko is fine, I'm fine." She grabbed Yaoyorozu's hand squeezing it, maybe a little too tightly. "Thanks for being concerned though, Yao. I appreciate it."

"Alright… but really if there's anything you-" she trailed off when laughter erupted. Both their heads turn to the door and neither of them could keep a straight face at what they saw.

"STOP LAUGHING!" Bakugo snarled. "My hair has gotten used to the treatment and won't turn back, not even after I wash it!"

"I don't see what's so funny." Todoroki strung fingers through his own slick back look. "It doesn't look bad."

"Hahahahahaha! Oh my god, Kacchan you look so precious!" Izumi took out her phone and snapped a picture of the two of them. She had to take a couple because her hand was shaking from her laughter.

"BAKA USAGI!" Bakugo's hair popped up as his temper really exploded. He made a grab for the phone and Izumi smacked the hand away twisting her body sideways to make him fall forward and she shoved him the rest of the way down.

"Consider this payback for the rabbit photos during the Sports Festival." She waved it with a smirk and glanced back at Todoroki. "You gonna make a grab too, Shoto?"

"No…" he averted his eyes, hating the fact his heart still skipped when she used his proper name. "You can keep it."

"Ugh fine!" Bakugo shoved up to his feet and sneered. "You can keep it, but I won't forget this Usagi. I'll make you pay for it later."

"I can't wait to see you try, Kacchan." She gave him a flirtatious smile and for the first time in a week really felt like herself again. Ah hell, she was fretting over stupid shit. She needed to get over this ridiculous guilt she had at her own violent behavior. It was making her misstep and it would be a big headache to do something as stupid as to give up her connections to hero society. She'd put on the charade a while longer and just enjoy it while she could.

"Nice moves, Midori!" Uraraka bounced and took her own combative stance. "I learned a similar move from Gunhead Martial arts. The experience I had there was really informative and worthwhile."

"I can tell…" She pocketed her phone and held out her hands. "Let's see what you got."

"Alright you asked for it…" Uraraka spoke with her inner badass, and slipping into a sort of "awakened" state.

"Atta girl, Ura-chan!" Izumi laughed. Like a machine gun Uraraka went into a flurry of punches. Her adorable voice warped into sounds of "hyahs" and "osus" and the onlookers in their class watched dumbfounded and impressed.

"Damn girls are scary." Mineta whispered and Kaminari couldn't help but agree. A moment later the door opened and the entire class is surprised to see both Aizawa and All Might stroll in.

"Whoa, Sensei you're actually early for once. What's the occasion?" Ashido said in laughing spirits.

"There's been a sudden development." His eyes scanned the room and found Izumi. She felt the intensity of his stare and knew instantly knew the jig was up. "Midoriya, gather your belongings and come with us."

"Hah?" Bakugo held his arm out before Izumi could move at all. "Why only Usagi? The hell is going on?"

"It's not for you to know, this concerns personal matters. Everyone else is to stay put until Cementoss comes in to sub in for homeroom." Aizawa nods his head. "Let's go, Midoriya."

"Yes sir." Izumi nodded and grabbed her bag.

"Now hold on just a damn-" Bakugo snagged her arm but Izumi clasped hers over his and turned a small smile in his direction.

"It's okay, Kacchan." Izumi pat his hand and glanced over at Todoroki who looked pale and concerned as well.

"Midoriya…" He stepped towards her not sure what to say.

"We were expecting this right, Todoroki-kun?" She gave a shrug and hooked her bag around her. "I'll hear what they have to say. Nothing I can do about it."

She walked obediently to the door and turned a bright smile to the class.

"I'll see you guys later, okay?"

"What the hell is that all about?" Kirishima wondered aloud as the door closed. He rubbed the back of his neck his face grim as the rest of them. "Why did Midoriya look like she wasn't ever coming back?"

"You felt it too eh Kirishima?" Bakugo snarled and stomped to the door. "Screw class, I'm gonna find out once and for all what the hell is going on with that stupid rabbit."

"I'm going with you." Todoroki agreed and jogged up to join him. He stopped dead when Bakugo whipped the door open and Cementoss stood in the way with his usual stoic expression.

"That's enough of that," he said and gently scooted Bakugo away from the door. "If you would all take your seats, we'll get class started."

**~Meanwhile~**

Well it was good while it lasted, Izumi thought with her head hung. After her meltdown at the internship Izumi knew she couldn't keep up the hero charade for long. The Heroes were limited in their power but the few good ones had resources to find the small holes in her strategies. She just didn't think it would be so soon. Then again after Endeavor had reopened Sensei's case it was bound to be suspicious that one of the last people he talked to before he died was her.

"Knight takes queen…" She murmured pushing the device on her wrist three times to give the signal to Kurogiri. He would track her location and wait for the okay to come get her. From there she would figure out what she wanted to do, whether it was give herself up and accept punishment… or fight.

"Heh…" She smirked. Who was she kidding? Of course she would fight. After everything she'd done and sacrificed, there was no point if she wasn't willing to push herself to the max.

The double doors of the Principal's office opened and Izumi immediately took notice of Detective Tsukauchi, his two deputies, and the Principal himself. The way they stood/sat made it clear to her that she was going into an interrogation room. The door closed behind her and she shut her eyes letting out a slow calming breath.

Alright, she told herself and slowly let her eyes lift again, the vivid green sharp and focused. Let the game begin.

"I take it this isn't going to be an enjoyable visit, Principal Nezu?"

"I'm afraid not, Miss Midoriya. Please have a seat." He motioned to the single chair in front of his desk.

"If it's all the same to you I'd rather stand." She folded her hands behind her back and eyed both Aizawa and All Might as they flanked the principal. The whole room was against her now, that was clear as well.

"You don't seem at all surprised at being called here like this." Aizawa said rubbing the back of his neck. He hadn't been looking forward to this encounter… but he knew it had to be done. "You told Todoroki both of you were expecting it."

"This is about Endeavor isn't it?" She shrugged. "He came to see me before he died, and our topic of discussion wasn't pleasant. I knew I'd probably get called in for questioning sooner or later. So I've been waiting for it."

"I see," Nezu folded his paws together. "Then you're aware that he reopened your guardian's murder case."

"The man died of a heart attack," Izumi retorted confidently. "I'd hardly call that murder."

"Endeavor believed differently." Tsukauchi pulled out his notebook. "He reopened the case to prove it was an unlawful death."

"Tch," She crossed her arms looking irritated. The fact that she was being outed by Endeavor's efforts was seriously pissing her off. Whatever hell he was in now she hope he was suffering from it. "Forgive me for my language but that's bull shit. He opened the case hoping to find dirt on me so I'd serve his purpose. He thought I'd be more inclined to help him control his son if he had the right kind of information to hold over me. I told the fool I wasn't going to assist him in playing puppet master, and to get lost. My Sensei died of a heart attack, end of story!"

"I see… so then you were unaware that he was murdered?"

"Excuse me?" Izumi's eyes sharpened. How in the hell did they find out? That poison was supposed to be invisible to any normal test. Just what sort of strings got pulled and who did the tugging?

"Nomura's body was fully diagnosed. All of the tests came out negatively… all but one." Aizawa explained and leaned back on Nezu's desk. "There were traces of a poison known as The Red Death indicated in his system."

Izumi paused her response, her face was pale which was good. If she was too calm it would be even more suspicious especiall since she was prone freak outs. She let her folded arms hang at her side and she swallowed hard.

"I've heard of it." She admitted. "It's a nerve toxin. It takes away the body's ability to function and eventually stops the heart completely. There was a serial killer named "Lady Red" I saw on TV who used the poison as her kind of signature. The poison was nicknamed the The Red Death in her memory."

"You're well informed. It's a unique poison that's hard to come by unless you have connections with the black market. Even then it's extremely expensive." Tsukauchi tapped his pencil on his pad trying to gage Izumi's reaction.

"So…" Her eyes darted around more out of acting than actual concern. She used the movement to gage the room and assess her situation. There was no way she could fight off everyone in this room and win. Even if she managed to attack Aizawa before he could cancel her quirk, she was sure All Might could take her down even in his weakened state. "Is that why I'm here? Am I going to be arrested for murder?"

"No," Tsukauchi said gaining her attention. "On the contrary, Miss Midoriya. We believe you're innocent."

This time the shock on her face was genuine.

"What? Why?" She staggered forward. "Aren't I the most… better yet the ONLY suspect? I've the most to gain from his death, and had every opportunity to do it."

"Yes, the evidence all points to you… which is exactly why all of us were unconvinced that you did it. Someone as intelligent and cautious as you Izumi wouldn't leave such an obvious trail to yourself. On top of that someone spoke up on your behalf and have given us a new lead."

"What?" Her blood ran cold. Was this a joke? She'd murdered someone and now she was getting away with it? How? Who spoke up for her? The doors behind her opened again and Izumi's eyes went wide and her pupils practically disappeared. "YOU!"

"Hello Izumi." Dr. Nakahara smiled warmly at her and stepped up putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. "It's going to be alright, I've told the detective and principal everything. You're safe now."

"Every…" her eyes narrowed as she put it all together. There was only one way he could have strung the story together and she didn't care for it. "You idiot! You told him about Tenko!?"

"Tenko Shimura… isn't it?" Nezu nodded. "Doctor Nakahara told us about your relationship with the boy. You've enlisted Dr. Nakahara's help to cover up your wounds and abuse you've been suffering from your encounter with this boy. He's been your support, your confidant, and in turn you've funded him for his research to help save his wife and daughter from certain death."

The fool, the idiotic and selfish fool! The heroes must have learned of her connection with Nakahara through their financial transactions, and instead of playing dumb and letting her handle her own affairs he took it upon himself to prove her innocence.

"Traitor…" She whispered and she slapped Nakahara's hand off her and whirled on him. "How dare you! How dare you break our confidence!? I trusted you damn it! You should have stayed out of this!"

"Don't be angry at him, Little Midori." All Might tried to soothe and stepped closer. Izumi jerked back, prickling up like a cornered cat. "Love is a strong and complicated emotion. It can be a person's greatest strength, or ultimate weakness. In your case it is the greatest motivation for doing the wrong things for the right reasons. You want to protect and shelter this boy even knowing what he's done because you love him."

"No!" Izumi felt the frustrated tears well up as her calm demeanor started to crack. She'd been prepared for her own punishment, but Dr. Nakahara's testimony was setting her up as the damsel in distress and Tomura the vindictive villain. Nothing she said would be credible because they thought she was protecting Tomura. "Tenko hasn't done anything!"

"Izumi there's no use in protecting that boy now." Nakahara turned her to face him seeing her expression go pale and shocked. "He's going to pay for what he's done. You're free of him."

"SHUT UP!" She smacked him away and felt her quirk being snuffed out from Aizawa's stare. She cursed and shoved Nakahara resorting to physical violence. "Don't you dare touch me! You liar! You promised you'd help me protect him!" She felt the hot tears pour down her cheeks. "I can't believe I was stupid enough to trust you! I gave you everything! Money for your research, a private lab for your work, and this is how you repay me? You fucking traitor!"

"I AM helping you!" He grabbed her arms shaking her. "Open your eyes, Izumi! I can't just sit back and watch as that boy destroys the person you're meant to be! You're too good and too kind to be manipulated and used by him! Tenko will be the death of you!"

"YOU'RE WRONG!" She screamed and her quirk flicked out momentarily as Aizawa struggled not to blink. "You're the one who just signed our death certificates! Everything we've done, everything we worked for is going to be destroyed! They're gonna-" Izumi staggered as a sharp hit from behind knocked her unconscious. Her legs buckled and Nakahara caught her stroking her hair affectionately.

"It's going to be okay, Izumi. I may not be able to protect the king and his followers…" Nakahara whispered and held her to him. He removed the device from her wrist and pocketed it without any of the heroes noticing. "...but I promise I'll protect you with my life."

**~Kurogiri's Bar~**

"This is troubling…" Kurogiri stated aloud. All around the league members were partaking in their own activities. Dabi and Tomura were focused on the game of chess in front of them. They'd been battling it out for nearly three hours. Toga sat in a corner cuddling the large glass container that held Stain's floating severed head. Twice and Mr. Compress were exchanging stories of their previous villain heists and deeds.

"What's the matter, smoky?" Twice asked having picked up on the grave tones.

"Karma's wrist device was put into tracking mode a few moments ago… but now the signal has cut off."

"What?" Tomura and Dabi both stopped playing and turned their attention to Kurogiri. Even Toga gave a small look of concern from her own little corner. "What does that mean?"

"The only time the signal can be canceled is if the bracelet is completely removed." He closed his phone and stepped around the bar.

"If it was in tracking mode," Dabi surmised and gripped his own phone, tempted to call her. "It means she was in the presence of heroes."

"Considering she's supposed to be in school that's not surprising." Compress rationalized and played with a few marbles in his hand. "Do you suppose it was a false alarm?"

"No…" Tomura stood up and pulled out his phone when it started to ring. "I seriously doubt that." He answered. "What do you want, Ace?"

"Sorry to disturb you, your majesty." Ace spoke soft and grimly. "It's hot press right now and I thought I should warn you and the rest of the group. Izumi Midoriya has been taken into police custody."

"What?!" Tomura shouted into the receiver. "She's been arrested!?"

"Not quite…" Ace drifted off when one of his colleagues walks by. "Most of those rumors have been unverified. My contacts in the police department tell me she's being put in protective custody… something about an abusive boyfriend." He said the last part with a sly tone.

"Hah?" He gripped the phone tightly… and the screen slowly started to crack under the pressure. "Karma wouldn't dare-"

"Well there was talk about her being put there against her will. Nakahara is with her acting as surrogate guardian."

"The traitorous bastard! She's emancipated she doesn't need a guardian. The fuck is going on?" He tossed the phone at Kurogiri who caught it on the fly. Kurogiri continued to speak with Ace to get all the details and Tomura paced the room. His fingers scratched and clawed at his neck irritably.

"Who do we need to kill?" Dabi questioned knowing that look on Tomura's face. Toga jumped to her feet excitedly.

"Oooh we get to kill someone?" Toga bounced in her shoes clutching Stain's head.

"Put that thing down, crazy, and get ready. Looks like we're gonna have to play rescue the damsel." Dabi pointed out and scowled at her. "So get serious."

"No…" Tomura stopped scratching his neck as his nervous system calmed. "No she wouldn't like that." He glanced over at Kurogiri who finished his conversation. "Did I interpret that correctly and Nakahara betrayed us?"

"From the information Ace provided it sounds to me that he's pinning the former Master's murder on you. He's also playing Karma off as someone who's confessing to the crime herself so to protect you. The fools don't realize she's telling the truth."

"Doesn't surprise me…" Dabi leaned back in his seat. "Nakahara's got no real loyalty to the league, only to Izumi. She's provided everything for him so if he feels her position was compromised then it's only natural he'd toss the rest of us under the bus."

"Are we going to kill him?" Toga squealed. "I'd like to kill him, and help Queeny escape! Let me help Tomura-kun!"

"That's dangerous, Toga-chan." Twice waved a finger then gave a thumbs up. "Sounds like fun, I'm in!"

"Me as well… a good betrayal deserves a gruesome death." Compress tossed all his marbles up and then stuffed them into his pocket.

"If Kurogiri's in that makes it unanimous. So King," Dabi stood up. "What are your orders?"

"My orders, huh?" Tomura looked down at his gloved hands a minute. For the next few moments his mind was filled with memories of Izumi. The thought of losing her, of losing those previous memories of her, sent his sanity spiraling down into the pit.

_You don't have to take the blame for that anymore._

She was the first person to truly understand him, to accept him for the mess and maniac that he was and truly love him for it.

_Are you saying you'd be lonely without me? _

She taught him patience, friendship, and what it meant to have a family and people you could rely on.

_Yes you are a king, so be a smart king!_

She taught him to be smart, to truly think about his actions before executing them.

_Take what's yours, Tomura. _

She taught him how to love… he loved his queen and she loved him. That was reason enough to kill the bastard for threatening to tear them apart.

"Yes we will kill him…" Tomura decided and clenched his fist. "...but we're going to do it properly. Karma can whine and complain about it later, but it's time we stopped trying to play this hot and cold game of hers. It's time we made a statement, a REAL statement." He removed his gloves and tossed them aside He then picked up a black pawn, the piece associated with Nakahara… and disintegrated in his grip. "One that the world will have engraved in their memories forever."

_**~Ask Briry~**_

_**Briry: One chapter to go! Are you guys excited? I know I'm excited and I'm the one writing it. Will Izumi continue down the path of evil to protect her man, or will she realize her mistakes and choose the side of the heroes? Find out soon...**_

_**Next Chapter: The Final Judgement**_


	34. The Final Judgement

**Midori the Villain**

**Chapter 34: The Final Judgement**

Izumi woke up restrained and alone in a cell. Her brain was muddled from the hit to her neck, but it take her long to figure out her situation. Panic bubbled and she struggled against the cuffs cursing when she realized they had quirk restraints.

"Shit… even though they think I'm innocent they're still giving me the criminal treatment." She murmured and looked around for something she could pick the locks with. She was starting to wish she hadn't cut her hair, at least then she'd have a bobby pin she could use. When she found nothing to use she started slamming her cuffs against the floor trying to break them.

She couldn't really blame them for restraining her. Her quirk was too powerful and dangerous for the police to give her complete freedom. It was especially dangerous knowing that her emotions were all over the place.

"Damn it I was expecting them to find out about sensei, but not you." She panted and winced when the slamming movement caused her wrists to rub raw and start to bleed. She cursed and slumped up against the far wall tears falling down her face. "Don't be an idiot, Tenko. Don't come for me, don't put yourself in danger. Stay safe."

From behind the reinforced mirrored glass Tsukauchi watched his witness and prisoner with a cautious eye. From their brief encounter in Nezu's office Tsukauchi knew a lost cause when he saw one. Izumi wasn't going to give up her boyfriend, and was determined to take the blame herself. With her safe in this secured room the heroes were now free to set a trap for the lover in question. Several heroes were already posted at Izumi's apartment, but there had to be other places where the scoundrel could hide out.

All Might and Aizawa had returned to the school hoping to gain more information from Izumi's classmates. He doubted they would have much information considering how secretive she is. Nakahara was giving his sketch artist a detailed description of the boyfriend, and soon they would release that info along with an APB on one Tenko Shimura.

"All that's left is gathering the evidence for conviction." Tsukauchi decided and glanced back at his deputy. "Well?"

"No word from All Might and Aizawa as of yet, but we're almost done with Nakahara." He looked through the glass to the girl. "You're sure you're okay with this? Even with Nakahara's testimony it'll be hard to convict him without Midoriya's consent."

"I'm positive once her friends and classmates become aware of the situation they'll be willing to support Midoriya and be her character witnesses. Even so you may be right. Without her testimony our case is flimsy at best." The door opened again and Tsukauchi narrowed his eyes at the person who walked in. "Which is why I've decided to take extreme measures."

"Hello again, Detective Tsukauchi." Ace held up a hand in greeting, his other tucked in the pocket of his fine tailored suit.

"Ah Louis, it's good of you to come." Tsukauchi pretended a friendly relationship… but in truth Tsukauchi didn't like this man. Thanks to his truth quirk he'd made friends and connections within several precincts within Japan. In return for his services he was given first rights at any criminal related stories.

"Is that my witness?" Ace walked to the window his eyes focused on Izumi who had resumed beating her restraints against the floor.

"Yes, she's a clam now. The only statement she's made is a claim that she's the one that killed her guardian. We want confirmation of the truth as well as any information she has on the whereabouts of her boyfriend."

"I see…" Ace pushed his glasses up further on his nose. "Then I'd better get to work."

_Please be patient, my queen. We will have you out of there soon. _

**~Meanwhile~**

"I see…" Mirio's normally happy face saddened at All Might's news. "So that's what happened. I'm sorry All Might, but Izumi and I only ever talked about training for the most part. She never even mentioned to me that she had a boyfriend."

"I see, well thanks for your help anyway Togata-kun." All Might pat his pupil's shoulder, "I know you're fond of Little Midori as well, so I'd hoped she'd confided in you about something that was troubling her."

"We only talked for a little bit after the festival. From then on she was focused on internships and we barely spoke afterwards. I had hoped after our conversation she'd be more open to me but I guess she has a hard time telling others what's in her heart." Mirio clutched his chest then looked up his eyes suddenly fierce. "Would it be alright if I went to see her? Maybe I can convince her to tell the truth and testify."

"That could be helpful, my boy." All Might agreed. "I'll come get you once Aizawa and I have talked with her classmates. We'll go see her together." He stepped back from him. "For now return to class."

"Yes Sir." He bowed respectively and hurried back to his own class. All Might watched his young protege with a mix of pride and sadness. He knew that Mirio was just as fond of Izumi if not more so. They had to protect her at all costs.

"Alright, let's do this!" All Might stepped through the doors and joined Aizawa.

"You're late. What did Mirio say?"

"Dead end I'm afraid, but he's invested in helping us get the truth from Midoriya." He turned to the class who remained in their seat looking eager to find out what the heck was going on.

"Alright then, guess we don't have much of a choice." Aizawa turned to the class. "I'm sure the lot of you are anxious to find out what's going on with Midoriya. As of right now she's in police custody and under suspicion of murder."

"EH!?" The entire class erupted with shouts of disbelief.

"What? Midoriya!? No way that's true!" Kirishima jumped to his feet.

"Yeah there's gotta be some kind of mistake, sensei!" Uraraka agreed. "Midori would never do something like that!"

"Yeah!" Ashido jumped up glaring. "It's gotta be that no account boyfriend of hers! That Tenko is the shifty character not Midori-chan!"

"Hah? Tenko?" All eyes turned to her, Bakugo in particular went steely eyed from the information. "Is that the fucker's name?"

"Mina-chan, you blew it." Tsuyu murmured and put a hand to her face. Ashido immediately realized her mistake and covered her mouth.

"Shoot!"

"Ashido…" Aizawa turned his attention to her and she squeaked and sat down holding her hands over her head. "Explain."

"Ah well, I…" Ashido looked around at the other girls and swallowed hard. "That is we…"

"We?" Aizawa turned his attention to the class. "How many of you are aware of Midoriya's boyfriend?"

"All of us knew she was in a relationship, sensei." Kirishima admitted and rubbed his thumbs together. "Midoriya doesn't talk about him much, but it's pretty obvious he's really possessive of her. He's always texting and calling her. Makes her rush out of class to get home… and we've seen the marks on her neck and arms even when she tries to hide them."

"Do any of you know where he is or where we can find him?" All Might asked and at the silence of the class he sighed heavily. "Please think about Midoriya's circumstances. If this young man isn't brought to justice then she'll be the one to face the consequences."

"Midoriya-san…" Yaoyorozu gripped her hands together and she shut her eyes. The weight of the promise Izumi had made them take was overwhelming… but Izumi was her friend and she couldn't just ignore it. She jumped to her feet and looked at the teachers with a stern gaze. "I've met him before."

"Yao! Our promise!" Uraraka shouted at her but got a glare.

"I know we were sworn to secrecy but I can't just sit back and let Midoriya-san suffer. I will tell the truth, even if it means losing her friendship!" She clenched her fists. "The lot of us girls ran into them when we went shopping and after meeting him I agree with Kirishima's assessment. He's a dangerous man."

"Do you know where we can find him?"

"From the little information we received from Midoriya-san the two were living together." Yao looked to the other girls. Uraraka bent her head down and Jirou seemed to be fighting with her own conscience. Tsuyu however stood up and joined her.

"Midori made us swear not to tell anyone about him. Her guardian had been taking care of him as well before he died. She told us he can't control his quirk, and he has temper tantrums, and she took the responsibility of caring for him and teaching him to interact with people."

"It's more than that. Izumi's in love with him.' Ashido said sitting up straight. "I've never seen Izumi beg before, but she was in tears when she swore us to secrecy. She said "I can't call myself a hero if I can't save the person I love most."

"Tch," Bakugo made a sound of annoyance. He thought of how Izumi had jumped straight into a burning building to save her mother. She hadn't cared about her own safety at all. "Damn rabbit, that does sound like something she'd do."

"Agreed," Todoroki bowed his head. "Midoriya is the kind of person that would take it upon herself to help. She doesn't care about your past, or circumstances. If you need help, she would do everything she can to save you, even if you don't want it."

"This is all good information and we'll have you guys take official statements to the police… You girls that met him will need to meet with a sketch artist."

"Ah actually, sensei…" Ashido picked up her phone and held it up. "I have a picture of him."

"What? Really Ashido-san?" All Might looked eager and thrilled at this new development.

"Yeah, I snuck a picture when Izumi wasn't looking." Ashido admitted and yelped when Bakugo got up from his seat and snagged it from her hand. "Hey!"

"Finally… I'll know what the bastard looks like so I can kill him myself." Bakugo looked at the screen and his eyes went wide at what he saw. "Oi… Raccoon eyes. You're sure this is him?"

"Huh? Yeah, why?"

"Todoroki!" He tossed the phone at Shoto who caught it and looked at the screen. "Look familiar?"

"This guy…" Shoto's eyes widened in realization. "Shigaraki!?"

"WHAT!?" Aizawa and All Might shouted together and Aizawa walked over and snagged the phone. He looked at the picture and his heart stopped. "Damn it… there's the link. All Might call Tsukauchi, tell him to up the security around Midoriya now!"

**~Back at Izumi's cell~**

Izumi's head slowly lifted up when Ace walked into the room and the door locked behind him. Her eyes lit with realization and she cowered into the corner and she snarled.

"Get out of here, get away from me!"

"Easy now, Miss Midoriya." He stepped to her and Izumi practically hissed like a cat her eyes slitting. "Everything's going to be okay. I'm just going to ask you a few questions."

"To hell with that. I know why you're really here." She stood up her teeth grit. "I'm telling you to get lost!"

"I'm sorry, but you don't get a choice in the matter." He held out a recorder and removed his glasses. "Be a good girl and don't give me too much trouble okay?" He flipped the switch, seemingly returning on the recorder, but it was actually sending a signal to Kurogiri. Izumi kicked her leg out knocking the recorder out of his hand and she then pinned him to the floor.

"Such a firecracker… Oi, go help him before she knocks him senseless." Tsukauchi motioned his deputy in and sighed heavily. His phone rang as the door opened and he picked it up. "Hello?"

"Tsukauchi! Increase the guard around Little Midori. Her boyfriend is Shigaraki! She's part of the league!"

"What!?" His eyes turned to Izumi… and what happened next all went in a blur.

"I told you-" Izumi sneered down at Ace her eyes wild with fear. She raised her hands over her head prepared to knock him senseless, but she felt the familiar chill up her back as Kurogiri's warp appeared behind her. "No…" She slowly turned around her eyes looking wide eyed and petrified. "Too late."

The black warped took up the far wall and her already pale face went ghostly when Dabi stepped through and smirked down at her.

"Found you… my queen."

"FREEZE VILLAIN!" The Cop lifted up a gun pointing it at him.

"Freeze huh?" He laughed. "You've got the wrong Todoroki." Dabi whispered and laughed. Izumi immediately ducked her head over Ace as Dabi unleashed a powerful blaze of fire that burned up the deputy. Tsukauchi barely was able to duck out of the way and avoid being burned alive by the blast. As smoke filled the room and the fire alarms went off all hell broke loose.

While employees tried to put out the fire Tsukauchi crouched around the ground trying to get into the room. He coughed and stayed low calling Izumi's name…. But she, Ace, and the villains were gone.

"KUSO!"

_**~Kurogiri's Bar~**_

"You fools! You absolute reckless fools!" Izumi kicked Ace and Dabi in the behind and snarled at the rest of them. "Warping in the middle of an armed station with little to no preparation? Are you CRAZY!?"

"Ungrateful much?" Dabi winced rubbing his backside and Ace laughed.

"Yes well, her priority is different than ours."

"Queeny!" Toga ran to Izumi and hugged her. "I'm so happy you're safe! Did those big bad heroes lock you up? No worries we'll kill them all."

"Killing is exactly what got me into this mess in the first place." Izumi said with a snarl. "Where's Tomura?"

"He, Mr. Compress, and Twice are picking up a package. They left before us so they should be back relatively soon." Kurogiri explained. The door opened up and he made a sound of acknowledgement. "Ah there they are."

"Damn this guy is a lightweight!" Twice complaint contradictingly as he struggled to pull in the body over his shoulder.

"Stop whining and move faster," Tomura kicked him down and walked on top of both. He spotted Izumi and he felt the huge sense of relief at seeing her… but her pale complexion, and bleeding wrists caused fury to build up. "Karma…"

"You weren't followed were you?" She walked to him with a teary expression. "The heroes are looking for you everywhere."

"Ah, Compress had me and our quarry in marble form during the bulk of the trip." He grinded his foot against the back of their capture and he yanked the bag off his face to reveal a beat up Nakahara. "Say hello, Doctor."

"My Queen… I'm sorry…" Nakahara looked up, his bruised face full of pain and regret. "I just did what I thought-" he choked as Izumi whipped her foot across his face.

"You should have kept your mouth shut! You think I got my position by being stupid?!" She snarled down at him. "The stupidest thing I've done is trust you with my secrets."

"Trusting me is the smartest thing you've done! You shouldn't trust these no account-" Nakahara gasped for air when her foot caught him right in the larynx. He wheezed and coughed trying to speak.

"Don't you dare speak ill of my family!" She snarled down at him, her eyes in slits. "The moment I'm out of these cuffs I'll fucking kill you myself!"

Nakahara looked at her wide eyed and in shock. He had never seen her so crazed and blood thirsty. Who the hell was this woman?

"Now, now, my queen…" Tomura stroked her head and kissed her cheek affectionately. "You're safe… our family is safe… and the doctor will pay for his crimes as all our enemies will."

"It's not enough, Tomura." She grit her teeth and turned into his shoulder burying her face there. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry I got you involved in that."

"None of that…" He grabs her chin and lifts it up so her teary eyes look up at him. "Look at that face… only a few days ago you were acting so high and mighty. Now you're a crying mess. That's not the kind of queen I need at my side."

"You're right, I lost my cool… forgive me, my king."

"That's right, I'm your King. As your king I'm disappointed in you, Izumi." He grabbed her throat and started to squeeze. She wheezed a little and she pushed her restrained hands up on his chest but he shoved her back against the wall. "You lectured me about my stupidity… but in reality it's you that's been foolish."

"T-Tomura…" Izumi wheezed and gasped for air. "Can't breathe…"

"Oi, ease off! You wanna kill her?" Dabi grabbed his shoulder but Tomura shoved him back.

"I won't kill her… she still needs to face judgement."

"Judgement?" Izumi wheezed and gasped for air when he released her.

"That's right… it's your fault that our secrets are out. You put your trust in this idiotic doctor, wasted money on his research and in the end it's going to cost us a great deal. Both you and Nakahara will face trial, and your punishment will be decided after we find the depths of your guilt."

Tomura turned his back to her and looked at his group.

"Make the preparations… Ace, your performance will be particularly important."

"Of course." Ace bowed. "I look forward to it, My King."

**~A Few Days Later~**

The weekend hit and everyone was on edge. The police and heroes worked non-stop trying to pin down where the league was hiding out. A few sightings had them circling around but the inconsistency of the reports left them confused and frustrated.

Tsukauchi and his team reviewed the recording of Endeavor's execution trying to find some kind of clue that would indicate the league's location… but from the analysis all they managed to find out was that the murder took place on some kind of film set up; backgrounds, sound stage, and lighting, all elaborately set up for the pure purpose of exposing Endeavor's true self.

Heroes patrolled around Izumi's apartment building in continuous shifts waiting for some movement, and the little information they gathered from inside did little to expose where the league could be hiding. What they did find was a business card with Kurogiri's bar address on it, the same one Izumi had used when she first joined the league. However when they sent a team in the place had been cleaned out, and the league had moved on.

When nearly a week passed it was thought that the league had gone into hiding, possibly moved on and out of the city…

... but at 8am Sunday morning, as families gathered at tables for breakfast, people wandered the streets heading for work, and shops opened up for the day, every screen flickered off from the advertisements and show it was turned to, and focused onto Shigaraki's face.

"Long time no see, world."

"They're making their move!" Tsukauchi dialed into his comlink. "All units report! Any sign of them!?"

"Just the broadcast, there's been no movement and I don't see any of the suspects in question."

"All areas are clear, there's no sign of the league."

"Damn it!" Tsukauchi looked back at the screen, his eyes darting around for something… anything he could use. "Come on, give me something… anything!"

The camera followed Shigaraki as he took his place at the judge's seat. He smiled down at the figure knelt before him, she looked worse for wear having been under lock and key for days. She severely pale, bruised and bleeding, and had bags under her eyes.

"Mr. Compress… seeing as Karma is preoccupied elsewhere would you be so kind as to do the honors?"

"Happily, your highness…" Compress bowed and stepped out onto the floor. "Ladies and gentleman a great injustice has been brought down upon the league. Our King, our leader has been falsely accused of a crime he didn't commit. Now he's wanted by the police and heroes alike when all he's guilty of is enlightening the world and trusting the wrong people."

"Off with the heads!" Twice shouted from the jury and Shigaraki waved him down.

"Later, Twice… for now let's see if we can't get to the truth of the matter." He motioned with his hand and Dabi shoved Ace forward. He too looked ragged, his suit jacket discarded and normally slicked back hair touseled.

"Please state your name and quirk for the court." Compress insisted. "Do as we say and you'll be free to go. Defy us and you'll share in her fate." He motioned over Izumi.

"O-Of course…" Ace swallowed hard, playing up the role of a hostage. He looked into the camera. "My name is Louis Koijiro. I'm a reporter and my quirk is called "Sincere Stare." essentially if I look others directly in the eyes, they're forced to tell the truth."

"Excellent, would you be so kind as to help us get to the truth." Compress walked around and grabbed Izumi up by her hair. She let out a small cry of pain and crawled forward. With fierce but teary eyes she looked up at Tomura pleadingly.

"You don't have to do this, Tomura. Please… I'm on your side, I always-"

"Silence! If you speak out again I'll hold you in contempt of court." He warned giving her an icy stare. He turned that glare to Ace. "Mr. Koijiro, use your quirk on miss Midoriya. Mr. Compress will then ask her the questions we want answers to."

"Yes… Yes sir…" Ace lifted his tied hands and tugged the tie all the way off. He then removed his glasses and set them in Dabi's open palm. Taking a deep breath he knelt down in front of Izumi. "I'm sorry about this, Midoriya, but I'd rather not die today."

"No… No please…" Izumi shut her eyes and she struggled as Compress force her eyes open. A few seconds later her eyes turn hazy and she whimpered.

"State your name…" Ace spoke.

"My name is Izumi Midoriya…" she said even as tears welled up.

"How old are you?"

"I'm fifteen years old."

"Alright… she's ready." Ace stood up and stepped back, Dabi taking his arm.

"Excellent… now Miss Midoriya. Just for clarification can you tell us how you know our king."

"I met Tomura-kun in my third year of junior high. I had just met all Might for the first time, and was feeling depressed because I didn't get a chance to ask him for advice about becoming a hero. Tomura approached me, and told me he could introduce me to someone who could help me get into U.A."

"That someone is Hiroki Nomura?" Compress confirmed and Izumi nodded.

"Yes, but I don't think that's his real name. I always called him sensei, because the man taught me everything. He taught me to fight, how to play chess, plan, strategize, and utilize my resources."

"I see. You knew him better than anyone. He took you in when your mother died. You knew him better than anyone, so who better to know the true indentity of his killer." He knelt down and lifted her chin so she looked straight into camera. "Could you please tell the court who killed him?"

"I…" Izumi tried to look away but Compress held her head firmly in place. The words sobbed out of her. "I did. I killed him."

Shock… that was the word to express everyone's reaction to her confession. Her classmates, spread throughout the city looked at their phones and TVs with astonished horror.

"No way…" Kirishima murmured.

"Midori-chan…" Uraraka cried and covered her mouth.

"It's a lie…" Bakugo held the TV shaking it as tears of his own threatened to spill. "It's gotta be a lie!"

"Hiroki Nomura took you in when your mother died. Even before that he trained you, helped you get into U.A. high school, and yet you killed him. Why?" Compress continued to press and shook her when she bit her lip to the point it bled. "Why did you kill him, Midoriya!?"

"I did it…" she choked and spat blood when biting her lip failed to keep quiet. "I did it because I found out he was just using me! Not just me but Tomura too… he sent Tomura to USJ to kill All Might. He knew I wouldn't let Tomura do that, no matter how loyal I was to him I didn't want to see Tomura committ murder. In saving All Might I gained his trust and learned of his secret… STOP IT! STOP IT! MAKE IT STOP!"

Izumi struggled and she started slamming herself around, screaming and crying. Dabi shoved Ace at Compress and snagged Izumi by the air slapping her.

"Stop the broadcast!" Tsukauchi yelled over the phone at the TV centers. "Intercept it, shut off the links, do something!"

"Finish what you started, Izumi…" Tomura stood up and spread out his hands. "Tell us what All Might's secret is."

Izumi shook her head sobbing and trying to stop the quirk but her mouth opened before she could stop it.

"All Might… has weakened. He has a severe injury that only allows him to be a hero for about an hour. In time All Might won't be able to do his job… the symbol of peace will fall… I'm sorry." Dabi let go of her and she curled up on the ground sobbing. "I'm sorry All Might! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

"Little Midori…" All Might touched the screen of his TV, tears spilling down his face. "What have I done? What sort of burden have I forced upon you?"

"That's a good girl, Miss Midoriya." Compress clapped and crossed his arms. "The truth has finally been set free."

"Not quite…" Tomura held up his hand and leaned forward looking down at Izumi. "Izumi Midoriya… I've two final questions to ask you.. And then I shall pass judgement upon you."

Forced back up on her knees again Izumi weakly looked up at Tomura her eyes tired and defeated.

"You knew that I organized the attack in the center of town when your apartment went up in flames. You knew I was truly the one responsible for your mother's death… why did you choose to forgive me?"

"I didn't forgive you… because I never blamed you." She sniffed and looked him in the eyes, and even without the quirk Tomura could tell she was speaking the truth. "I blamed myself for her death… because I was stupid enough to trust and fall in love with a villain. I wanted to be a hero… but I couldn't save the one I loved the most. My dream and hunger killed her more than your cruelty ever could."

"If I'm so cruel, then why did you stay loyal to me for so long?"

"... because I was stupid enough to believe I could save you." She laughed at pitiful self. "You, the boy who'd been neglected and ignored when he needed saving most. The boy who had helped give me everything I ever wanted. I wanted to help you have faith in heroes again. I wanted you to have a real family, have true friends, … and more than anything I wanted you to call me your hero. Another foolish dream."

Tomura stood and walked to her. He knelt down and wiped her tears away.

"Thank you, Izumi… for being loyal to me to the end." He slipped off his glove. "You've confessed to your crimes, and now I will give you a gift to show you my gratitude and love."

"Guess Nakahara was right…" Izumi murmured and smiled genuinely up at him. "He said you'd be the death of me."

"Guess he was… Goodbye, my hero." He held up his hand prepared to deliver the killing blow. Izumi shut her eyes as if to accept her fate… but at the last second her eyes shot open and she jerked her cuffed hands up. The heavy metal kicked Tomura back knocking him back. She jumped on him and slammed her cuffs against his flat palm. The metal cracked and broke free and Izumi's eyes went white.

"Goodbye indeed!" She set free her quirk, the tentacles flaring out. Dabi and Compress rushed her to stop but were knocked away. The jury all stood and ran for it as Izumi's quirk went haywire and destroyed the set all around them.

"YES! ATTA GIRL IZUMI!" Mirio shouted at his TV grinning wide eyed and ecstatic. "Show those villains what for!"

"Get 'em…" Shoto murmured as he stare at his phone and then growled and shouted. "GET 'EM IZUMI!"

"KILL THE BASTARDS USAGI!" Bakugo jumped and punched the air as if assisting Izumi in the fight.

"Stop her! Kill her!" Dabi screamed and tried to aim his flames at her but was swallowed up by black and knocked away.

"Like hell I'll let you kill me!" Izumi shouted and straddled over Tomura her hands at his throat. "I'm done, you hear me you sick freak! I'm done with your abuse, your mind games, and your false love!" She lifted her hand up. "If I'm going to hell, then I'm dragging you down with me!" A ball of energy formed and she smirked down at Tomura. "Now DIE!"

"Right, that's enough of that…" a distorted voice spoke from off camera. Izumi choked as a whip came from no where and wrapped around her neck yanking her back and off Tomura.

"K-Karma?" Izumi choked holding her neck.

"You're late, Karma…" Tomura sat up rubbing his neck.

"Forgive me your highness, but I'm here now and just in time for the final judgement." She stepped on Izumi's back, her quirk flickering out as her energy depleted. She struggled to get up and move. "Ladies and Gentleman of the jury… what is your verdict?"

"OFF WITH HER HEAD!" Twice shouted from under a pile of rubble. Karma's eyes sparkled with amusement as she looked down at the frightened wanna be hero.

"The jury has spoken… goodbye, Izumi Midoriya."

"NOOOOOOOO!" All Might shouted in complete traumatized horror.

"No! NOT HER! ANYONE BUT HER!" Todoroki shook his phone as tears spilled down his face. "Someone help her! PLEASE!"

"USAGI!" Bakugo slammed his fists into the floor explosions going off.

"MIDORI-CHAN!" Uraraka screamed and covered her eyes unable to watch.

"MIDORIYA!" Her friends and classmates all cried out in disbelief at what was about to happen.

With a quick tug of her whip Izumi's head came off with a pop and blood spurted out like a fountain and spilled crimson under Karma's booted feet. With a hidden smile she turned and walked towards the camera, setting it upright before focusing it on her masked face.

"Let this be a lesson to the world. You can't trust anyone. Not your friends, not your doctor, and…" she removed the mask and Izumi's sadistic smile and crazed eyes looked back at them. "Not even your heroes."

She dropped the camera and the only body that lay on the floor was a beheaded Dr. Nakahara.

**THE END.**

…

**Or is it?**

**~Ask Briry~**

**Briry: Hey I hope you guys liked the chapter. I know I left a few things up in the air which I plan on addressing in the sequel… but if you guys want I can upload an epilogue that gives a kind of explanation about the ending and ties up the story without a cliffhanger. Let me know in the comments on what you'd like and don't forget to look for the sequel to this fic which I have named: **

"**Midori The Queen" **


	35. Epilogue

**Midori the Villain**

**Author's Note: The Ayes have it! Due to popular demand I've included a little epilogue. This was originally a rough draft of the first chapter of "Midori the Queen" but I changed it up to an epilogue. I hope you all enjoy it. **

**Chapter 35: Epilogue**

Izumi stroked Tomura's hair as he slept. She both his and Dabi's warmth as the two of them curled up into her on the queen sized bed they'd occupied for the night. The night was eerily quiet echoing the soft sounds of the forest like a soft lullaby. Despite the comfortable and peaceful surroundings she found it impossible to sleep.

Using her quirk she lifted the two up and away from her so she could slip out of bed before setting them down to rights again. She struggled to hold in the giggle of amusement when they started cuddling into each other.

"What I wouldn't give for a camera." She murmured, and tugged on a robe before exiting the room. She walked down the stairs, taking time to admire her new surroundings. As per her orders the league had rid themselves of all their previous hideouts; her apartment, the bar, Nakahara's lab and the nomu warehouse.

Before doing so she instructed each and every area, minus her apartment and the bar as they were on lockdown from the police, to be completely excavated of their property. This included any and all of All for One's databanks and storage, as well as the doctor's full research. In the databanks Izumi had found this cabin in the feudal part of Japan, owned by one "Jin Hinata" and deduced it was yet another hideaway.

"Perfect training area," Izumi thought taking a gander at the wide open windows that revealed the mountainous ground. "I should have one of them scout the area for any civilizations."

"Mumbling to yourself again?" Ace asked stepping from the kitchen and causing her to jump a little. "Forgive me, your highness, I didn't mean to startle you." He held up the cup of coffee he'd been making. "Couldn't sleep."

"That makes two of us." She murmured and sighed. "We managed to secure a place to live, but things are going to get tight without my financials."

"Isn't that why you donated a portion each week into that fake donation account?" He questioned. "For just such emergencies?"

"That'll hold us for a time, but not for good. We need to find a more permanent solution or we'll sink before even getting the chance to move again." She sighed heavily and hugged herself.

"Feeling regrets?" He asked sipping at his coffee.

"Too many to count." She admitted and rubbed her arms. "All Might once said if I followed my heart and put everything I have into something I'll have no regrets." She laughed bitterly. "What the hell does he know about such things I wonder. I did exactly what he told me and all I've been doing is regretting every decision I've ever made."

"You're right, what does he know." He motioned her away from the window patting her head. "Take it from this old geezer,"

"You're not that old Ace." She turned her head up to him and he leaned down smiling at her.

"I'm old enough to have regrets of my own, Karma." He set his coffee down and turned to put both his hands on her shoulders. "The one thing I don't regret, is tossing my lot in with you."

"Oh really?" She raised a brow and smirked at him. "Why is that?"

"Just look at the response you got…" He pulled back and help up papers he'd been reading before she came downstairs. All of them had her face plastered all over. The various titles read: "Top U.A. student turns villain," "The Rising Star Falls," and "Corrupted Student reveals All Might's weakness."

"Boy aren't I popular…" She picked up one at random and skims the story.

"Majority of them are trying to deduce whether or not your confession before your fall was truth or fiction." Ace laughs. "Only All Might as ever delivered such results to the press. You hit all the right triggers Karma. Giran is bound to get plenty of requests from other villains to join the cause."

"My cause…" she murmured and her eyes flickered with momentary sadness. "Right." She set the paper down. "Hey Ace… can you get ahold of Broadcast for me?"

"Hmm?" Ace glanced up from sipping his coffee and lounged back on the couch. "Sure, what for?"

"My regrets…" she told him and he watched as a glint came into those emerald eyes. "I think I know how to get rid of them once and for all."

**~Two Weeks Later~**

All Might and Aizawa stepped into the old Nomu Warehouse looking around curiously.

"You sure this is the right place, Aizawa-kun?" All Might rubbed his chin. "Nobody is here."

"You're the one with the connections to the police, All Might. I'm just here on request." Aizawa retorted and eyed the rows of seats along with a projector screen. "What's this."

"Aizawa-Sensei?" Mirio walked in rubbing the back of his head. "You're here too?"

"Young Mirio? What are you doing here? This is a restricted zone." All Might held out his hand looking bemused.

"I got a text message from Sir and was told to meet you here." He held up his phone looking a bit perplexed.

"Ah ha! There's All Might!" Kirishima exclaimed from the door and grinned. "See Bakugo I told you this was the right place."

"Seems kinda creepy for an impromptu field trip." Bakugo looked around. "What the hell are we doing here?"

"That's what I'd like to know." Aizawa narrowed his eyes as the rest of the students from his class filed in one by one eyeing the large empty warehouse.

"We followed the instructions you left us, Aizawa-sensei." Yaoyorozu lifted up the map.

"My… tch damn it's a trap! EVERYONE OUT!" Aizawa quickly ordered.

"Eh?" Yao blinked, behind her the last two stragglers, Todoroki and Iida stepped in. Once the group was inside the doors to the warehouse slam shut and lock.

"Damn it!" Aizawa cursed and grabbed hold of his bindings his hair flowing up as he looked around for villains.

"What the hell is going on? I can't see."

"Mirio," All Might started to order his protege to use his quirk to get out and get help, but a projection flashed up on the screen and Izumi's unmasked face appears.

"Alright everyone calm down…"

"Midoriya!" Aizawa whirled and glared up at the screen. "Damn it I knew it. What the hell do you want."

"Sorry for getting you guys here under false pretenses, but I doubt none of you are surprised by my lies at this point." She said with some sting and some amusement. She casually lounged back in what looked like a throne and crossed her legs. "Still I didn't feel comfortable broadcasting this particular message to the world. I wanted only you that are in the room to hear it. I'll wait a few moments for you all to get settled, or leave if you prefer, but I'd like you to hear me out."

"Like hell we'll listen to you, you damn traitor!" Kaminari seethed and Mineta tossed a fist in the air in agreement.

"Yeah, you villain!"

"Save your breath…" Bakugo strut to a chair and slumped into it. "It's a recording you dumbasses. She's not actually listening to us."

"Huh?" Mineta blinked. "How can you tell?"

"I just can…" He leaned back in his chair, his expression a mix of pain and irritation. "So sit down and let's get this over with."

Todoroki took his seat next, sitting directly behind Bakugo. The rest of them filed in each taking a seat. The Izumi on screen seemed to sit in place, smiling patiently. Once all of them were seated she started to move again.

"Right… thank you. From here on out you all are free to leave at your convenience… but I have a few things to say before you do." She folded her hands in her lap. "The first is I want to apologize for deceiving you all this time."

"Oh Bull Shit!" Kaminari shouted and got shushed by Jiro.

"The second is I never got the chance to finish my confession. As you have probably guessed, the broadcasts you all have been witnessing are all pre recordings done in a secluded area. Despite that I want you to know that the first half of what you saw was all true. Everything after I attacked Tomura was staged through image manipulation and sound editing… but everything before that was true and real reactions. Whether you choose to believe me or not is up to you, but I'm here to confess and get what I've been carrying around with me off my chest. I hope you'll all listen."

"Does she seriously expect us to buy into this?" Ojiro jerked a thumb up at the projection. "Why is she telling us the truth now?"

"I'm telling you all this now, because it's not going to change what I've done and who I've become. I'm not some damsel who's pleading for you to save her, and I'm not some sob story asking for forgiveness. I'm confessing the truth to you now, because the next time we meet there's not going to be an "Izumi Midoriya" for you to find. She's dead and I'm what's left of her. Once this recording is done I too will die, and you'll never get another chance to pry the truth from me." She closed her eyes taking a deep breath. When her eyes open the teary expression stare right into the group. "I never wanted to be a villain."

The true sincerity in that statement left the group stunned and speechless. There was such hurt and regret in her eyes that it was difficult to just shove it off as mere "acting."

"Ever since I was little I wanted to be a hero. All Might you were by far my favorite. My room was a shrine to you, posters everywhere, figurines, collector's cards," She started listing them off one by one. "You were my inspiration and my goal. I wanted to be a hero just like you, who could save the world with a smile… but as Kacchan often told me it was a stupid dream… because I was born quirkless."

"Eh? Quirkless?" Kirishima blinked in surprise and looked at Bakugo. "Seriously?"

"Yeah…" Bakugo grit his teeth as guilt weighed on his chest. "She's telling the truth."

"Kacchan, Todoroki-kun, both of you know this already. Up until the last year of middle school I was quirkless, but I never gave up on my dream. I studied heroes, watched specials, took notes, and even begged my mom for martial arts classes." She played with her fingers, her face taking on a nostalgic and happy expression. "Kacchan you were always so annoyed with me for that. You didn't like to show it but you were very protective of me, always yelling at me telling me I was being stupid and that I'd just end up getting hurt. Maybe if I'd listened to you and given up from the start none of this would've happened."

"Usagi…" He clenched his fists over his pants and grit his teeth.

"I didn't though… and because I didn't I met Tomura. Even though he hates heroes, even though he didn't know me at all he offered to help me get into U.A. He introduced me to sensei which brings me into the next part of my confession." She stilled her nervous fingers and her eyes took on a serious look. "It was sensei who gave me my quirk. I'm pretty you know who my sensei was, All Might. I don't know if Nomura is his real name or an alias, but Tomura did tell me his Villain name…"

"Gave you a quirk…" All Might stood up and his eyes went wide and horrific. "It' can't be."

"All For One…" He, Mirio and Izumi all spoke in tandem. All Might fell back into his seat and Mirio placed a comforting hand on his teacher's shoulder.

"All Might-sensei…" Mirio looked at him concerned. "That's the man you-"

"Huh? Who is this guy she's talking about, All Might?" Ashido asked curiously looking back at the suddenly pale faced All Might.

"For those of you that don't know…" Izumi spoke up as if hearing the conversation. "All for One is the man responsible for putting All Might in the condition he's in. He had a twisted and evil mind, and used Tomura's hatred, and my dream to twist us up and make us his pawns. It worked, up until he told Tomura to attack USJ and put me in a precarious situation torn between my loyalties. I was so angry with Tomura for doing something so stupid, and so scared that he'd get hurt or killed trying to fulfill Sensei's order. It was the first time my loyalty was tested, and I absolutely hated it because I'd grown fond of you all. I didn't want Tomura to get hurt, but I also didn't want all of you to get hurt either. It completely tore me in half."

"Now it all makes sense…" Aizawa said with crossed arms. "I wondered why Izumi had reacted Ithe way she did at USJ. If she was with the villains she could have just let the events play out. No matter what side won she could have just slipped in or out with minimal action required."

"Instead she chose to fight," Todoroki held his heart as he remembered the catatonic look on her face during All Might's battle. "She interfered, choosing to save her classmates and teacher and doing her best to persuade Shigaraki to retreat so he wouldn't get hurt. Saving lives on both sides of the spectrum."

"I couldn't forgive Sensei for what he had done. I'd known he was a villain, but for him to Tomura in danger like that and tear my heart apart for his own benefit was unforgivable. That encounter nearly tore Tomura and I apart, and I wasn't having this sadistic cripple's need for vengeance be my leash anymore." The more she spoke, the crazed Izumi's eyes became. Everyone could see the villainess slip past the surface of her sweet face. "If I was gonna be a villain, then I was going to be the kind of villain I wanted to be. I wouldn't be used, or played with… instead I decided I would have the power, I would ultimately make the decisions. It was my life! I was taking charge of it!" She slammed her fist on the arm of the chair, her hair floating up and eyes glowing. "All for One thought he could rule us all like a King and his peasants… but I overthrew him with the smallest use of my quirk. The fool was so confident that he'd completely corrupted me that I wouldn't dare betray him." She laughed her teeth flashing brilliant white. "Well he thought wrong. I killed him, I ripped away the leash… and took the reigns of the League of Villains."

The group could only sit in shock and horror as Karma came out. She held her face and strung fingers through her hair trying to hold in the laughter.

"You should have seen the look on his face when the fool realized I'd poisoned him. I could die laughing from remembering it. The man praised my mind but treated me like an idiot… well who's the idiot now!?" She laughed again holding her stomach and staring into the camera. "Sorry, was that a bit much? Sometimes I get a little carried away in my work."

"Jeez I feel like I'm watching a horror movie…" Jiro murmured and hugged her legs to her chest. "I suddenly don't feel like watching anymore."

"Have I frightened you? Hmmm?" She tilted her head to the side. "Maybe a few of you… but as you can see this is what I've been reduced to. I thought I had such a tight grip on my emotions and my internal war but now that everything's been exposed I've got nothing holding me back." She rocked a little rubbing her arms but the sadistic smile never fading. "Things will probably calm down now that my dream has been officially killed off. I don't know whatever possessed me into thinking I could be a hero. That dream has done nothing but cause me pain. The first boy I ever loved gave me grief for it… a villain managed to twist me up inside because I was so desparate for it. I yelled at my own mother because she kept trying to talk me out of it, and in the end I couldn't save her when my own foolish mistake put her in peril."

The smile was paired with tears now and the craze just increased. Todoroki could barely stand to watch anymore now that he knew what she'd put herself through.

"I put on the facade of a hero in training because I couldn't face reality." She continued, and rocked now. "No matter what I did, how much good I could do as a hero it wouldn't erase the hurt I cause, the lies I told, or the blood I spilled. The day I cut off my leash I made a promise to myself that I wouldn't let anyone else suffer my fate. I promised myself I would help Tomura know what it's like to have family, and friends, and devote myself to him. I took his abuse," She showed off the scars on her arms and pressed kisses there. "I didn't care if he covered my entire body with marks… because they reminded me of what I'd done, of who I was, so I wouldn't get swept away by the dream again."

She eyed the scars and let out a little laugh.

"Speaking of scars… I suppose I should also confess to you, Iida." She turned back to the camera fully as she fixed her sleeve. "You and so many other speculate why I kept you alive. Why I chose to carve my name into your flesh as a reminder of the mistakes you've made." She leaned on her knuckles, suddenly calm as she went back into confession mode. "I warned you didn't I? That one rainy morning after the Sports Festival I could see the same expression in your eyes that I'd seen in so many of my comrades; a hunger for violence and vengeance."

"Midoriya…" Iida rubbed his arm remembering how Karma had carved into his flesh. A reminder, she had called it, to keep him from making the same mistake he'd made… but he wondered if the true reminder was to keep him from making the same mistake she made.

"I hated carving my name into your flesh. I can still hear your screams of pain, they keep me up at night, waking me up from a dead sleep to remind me what I'd done to someone I respected and considered a friend." Her face twisted up again, this time with more annoyance and anger. "It really irritates me how much you and the rest of my classmates had managed to wiggle your way into my heart, making me question my resolve and motives. Especially you, Shoto."

"Eh?" Todoroki blinked in surprise by this.

"For crying out loud you were by far the most annoying out of the lot of them." She slammed her fist down again pouting. "Randomly telling me that you like my face, confessing your love over and over, staring at me with those eyes… god how the fuck is a girl supposed to resist that kind of careless charm? KUSO!" She held her chest now her face flushing and eyes filling with arousal and affection. "Every time you opened your mouth I wanted to hit you. You and Kacchan both… between the two of you I could barely form coherent sentences let alone take you on."

Shoto and Bakugo exchanged glances before turning their attention back to screen.

"I made a commitment to Tomura…" She held her heart, her eyes sad and yet somehow affectionate. "Yet I was so tempted to just toss him aside… to toss everything aside and just be with you. I'd be so happy, so happy just to have even one of you with me always." She sighed. "I strayed from Tomura, took comfort in someone else… all because I couldn't get rid of this need and want for you both. I hurt him, betrayed him. I swear to god I thought he would kill me, but he forgave me. After that I swore I wouldn't let the two of you into my heart anymore. I cut off my feelings for both of you, and never looked back."

She sighed heavily and slumped glancing up at the side.

"What time is it? Feels like I've been talking for hours… are you guys even still listening to me?" She laughed a little. "Or am I just rambling to myself at this point?" She shrugged. "Either way, I'm happy I got to get what I needed to say off my chest." Izumi smiled. "I'll never have my dream, I'll never be a hero but I gotta tell yah it was fun while it lasted." She sat up leaning forward so that her teary smiling face filled the screen. "Being at U.A. with you guys was the happiest time of my life. I went in not expecting to make friends or connections with anyone… and I left with so many wonderful memories that'll fill the void of never being able to fulfill that dream."

Tears started to fill the eyes of her audience as the realization of what they were about to hear hit them.

"All Might I'm sorry for betraying you and revealing your secret to the world. I swear I had no intention of doing so, but Tomura gave me no choice in the matter. To you, and Aizawa Sensei, and Mirio-senpai I just want to thank you for teaching me so much, and I'm sorry I let you all down."

"Izumi…" Mirio held his chest and bowed his head. Aizawa stayed soberly quiet, but his eyes took on a sorrowful look.

"Little Midori…" All Might got up and bowed to the ground. "I'm the one who let you down… I'm so sorry."

"Ura-chan… you were the first person I met at U.A." She made the infinity symbol with her quirk. "You're an amazing partner, a worthy opponent, and a true friend. I'll miss you."

"Midori-chan…" Uraraka sobbed and held her mouth.

"Yao, I loved having tea at your house and talking with you. Stay strong and have faith in yourself."

"Midoriya-san…" Yao held her heart unable to stand the pain in her chest.

"Ashido, Tsuyu, Toru, Jiro… Thank you for keeping my secret, and for staying loyal to me when I needed you.." She continued. "Ojiro, Tokoyami, Shoji, you guys helped me at the Sports Festival and I'm grateful for that support."

She went down the line, giving her thanks to, Aoyama, Koda, Sato, Sero, Kirishima, Kaminari, and even Mineta. When she reached Todoroki she paused and had to wipe a tear from her eye.

"Shoto.." she struggled to keep the smile on her face as the tears filled her eyes. "I'm sorry I rejected you… you deserve the moon and I wish I could give it to you." She trailed off and her voice cracked. "Kacchan…"

"Don't do it… damn it… not here…" He stood up and yelled at the projection. "You damn coward tell me in person!"

"I've known you longer than anyone here… you were my first friend, my first love, and my hero." She bowed her head, the tears sparkling as they fell down. "I'm sorry for everything I've put you through. I'm sorry for making a nuisance of myself and always chasing after you. I'm sorry I won't be able to keep that promise of becoming heroes together."

Izumi sobbed as she couldn't hold back anymore. Her quirk threatened to run wild, the chair she was sitting on shifting and lifting and she tightened the reins on them quickly.

"I hope you're all still listening…" She lifted her head sniffling back the tears. She wiped her eyes dry and then ran fingers through her hair. "... because I don't want this to be goodbye. I can't be a hero at your side, but I'll be your rival nonetheless." Her smile turned into a confident smirk.

"I propose a challenge…" she sat up straight again and lifted her mask from off screen tapping it in her hand. "Play the game of life with me. Black Vs. White, Good vs. Evil, Heroes vs, Villains. Here's the rules!"

A large chess board floated into frame and she lifted her queen piece showing it off.

"Like chess, the objective is to capture and/or kill the opposing side's king… though in this case you'll be after the queen. Kill me, capture me, or make me surrender, and you win. In turn the league will disband and you'll have saved the world from another dangerous gang of villains. So play well, future heroes, but be warned." She slipped her mask on over her face and her distorted voice spoke with amusement. "I won't make it easy for you."

The video blinked off, and for a time the room was silent with random sniffles from leftover tears here and there. The first one to stand was Mirio and he walked to the screen with his hands on his hips.

"Well, that's that." He turned to the group smiling. "You heard her future heroes."

One by one the members of class 1A stood, their once sad and grief expressions now showing enthusiasm and pride.

"Heh, this'll be cake…" Bakugo laughed and punched his exploding fist into an open palm. "That bitch is gonna regret making a fool out of me."

"You said it, Bakugo!" Kirishima hardened his hands. "No way we're just gonna let her get away from us that easily."

"Yeah, we owe it to Izumi to come at her with all we got!" Uraraka pumped her fists and punched them out. "It's time I put all that training to work!"

The group got a consensus and excitement bubbled through them. All Might and Aizawa stood in the back, both with satisfied looks on their faces.

"Up until now everyone's work ethic and enthusiasm had been mild at best. I was starting to worry that no one would be able to pass finals." Aizawa crossed his arms smirking. "You think she planned this?"

"Hard to say…" All Might held his chest. "Little Midori, as we've come to find out, is a smart girl but she's difficult to understand. I'm happy that they got to have closure at least… now every one of them will go after their dreams, their consciences cleared, and goals focused."

"Midoriya said she was gonna be a villain, then she'd be the kind of villain that she wanted to be. At first I didn't quite understand what she meant but now I get it." He lowered his head smiling secretly. "She's the kind of person who lives to help others. If she's gonna be a villain, she's gonna be the kind of villain that brings other villains together, giving them family and friendship, and a place to belong. It would be sweet if it wasn't so dangerous."

"Agreed, but it's out of our hands now. All we can do now is raise those we do have to be good and proper heroes…" All Might looked back at the excited students who were already talking about training up and strengthening their quirks. "Who knows when we'll see Izumi and her league again… but when we do we'd best be ready."

**The End.**

**Please look for the upcoming sequel "Midori the Queen" **


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